For presumably the majority of its history since its founding, Panem was run as a totalitarian dictatorship led by a president who served for life and wielded absolute power over the government and military. Four presidents of Panem are present in the book series: Ravinstill, Coriolanus Snow, Alma Coin, and Paylor.
Panem used to be what we know as the United States, Canada, and the northern and central portions of Latin America. However, sometime in the past, an unknown cataclysm occurred which caused sea levels to rise rapidly and unexpectedly.
Panem is thought to be the last living civilization in the Hunger Games series, as the rest of the world is not directly mentioned. Earth is believed to have suffered from climate change, overpopulation, and destructive wars, resulting in the rise of sea levels and the collapse of modern civilization.
We know that the history of Panem stretches for a time that is at least longer than 75 years. We know this because 74 years ago, the original districts rose up against the Capitol during a period known as the Dark Days.
The First Rebellion was a major civil war that erupted in the nation of Panem more than seventy-five years prior to the events of The Hunger Games. The conflict was waged by the forces of the then thirteen districts of Panem, led by District 13, against the forces of the Capitol.
History of Panem: Origin Story (Hunger Games Explained)
Why did Panem start the Hunger Games?
We knew from the original series that the Hunger Games were set up by the Capitol as a punishment for the twelve districts of Panem, following their failed rebellion 75 years ago that ended when District 13 was supposedly destroyed.
The purposes of the Hunger Games are to provide entertainment for the Capitol and to remind the districts of the Capitol's power and its lack of remorse or forgiveness for the failed rebellion of the current competitors' ancestors.
Each district was responsible for a different segment of Panem's economy, and, together, they kept the post-apocalyptic world habitable. There were 12 distinct districts within Panem. The entire nation was run by an authoritarian-totalitarian dictatorship led by President Snow from the Capitol.
The word panem is Latin for “bread,” and given the similarity of the Hunger Games to the gladiatorial Games of Ancient Rome, it recalls panem et circenses, or “bread and circuses.” The phrase refers to the Roman Caesars' strategy of quelling public discontent by providing the people with plenty of food and ...
Panem is a nation established after an unknown catastrophic event that destroyed a majority of the world, and all of North America. Panem is composed of 16 Districts, along with the governing state known as the Capitol. Each District is responsible for a specific industry.
Peeta Mellark is chosen as District 12's boy tribute, which makes Katniss feel as if the odds truly are against her. She is not friends with Peeta, but she recalls how they first met. It was years ago when Katniss was 11 and her father had recently died.
Before the events of The Hunger Games, District 13 was part of the nation of Panem. Its main industry was military arms manufacturing and the production of nuclear weapons, and it also specialized in graphite mining as a secondary industry.
In the books, Collins never declares when Panem is created in the wake of a global war spurred by a series of environmental disasters. An early draft of The Hunger Games script alludes to it happening about 300 years from our current future, so that's at least a window to work with.
How many times is Katniss name entered in the reaping?
It is also cumulative, so Katniss Everdeen, when she was sixteen, had her name put in the glass ball twenty times. Gale Hawthorne, who has five family members including himself, had his name put in the glass ball forty-two times.
Also note this is a post-apocalyptic story, which means dealing with a massively reduced population by default. Even if we are generous and say the population of the US was only reduced by 50%, that would mean that Panem's military would only barely top 1 million (US military is about 2.2 million).
Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson: Katniss' fellow District 12 tribute comes from a family of bread bakers, and his name is an alternate—or dystopic, if you will—spelling of pita. The humble Peeta stands in contrast to the grandiose Panem, which, as noted above, is Latin for bread.
Primrose "Prim" Everdeen is Katniss' younger sister. She is 12 years old in The Hunger Games, and has blonde hair and blue eyes. Kind and compassionate, Prim is a skilled healer, a pupil of her mother.
Rue, the girl tribute from District 11, is small and reminds Katniss of Prim. Rue is able to hop from tree to tree like a squirrel, a skill that helps her outrun and evade her competition. She tips Katniss off to the tracker jacker nest that saves Katniss' life.
Panem is a dictatorship ruled by President Snow and predicated on authoritarian control. President Snow maintains his control by sowing division among Panem's people—divvying up the country into twelve districts—and ensuring their dependence upon the government.
The citizens in District 4 were known to be wealthy and very good-looking. Their tributes were also Careers, training from a very early age to prepare for the Games. The most notable members of District 4 were Finnick Odair and Mags Flanagan.
Why is Jennifer Lawrence not in the new Hunger Games?
The now 32-year-old actor mentioned (via Screen Rant) that she felt "old as mold" at the idea of The Hunger Games already being continued with a new generation of actors. However, Lawrence has given Rachel Zegler, who plays the new District 12 female tribute in the prequel movie, her seal of approval.
As for Panem's government structure after the events of The Hunger Games series, it was insinuated that Paylor set up a constitutional republic. This allowed the nation, including the encompassing districts, to thrive like they never had in their long history.
Snow Never Won Or Competed In The Hunger Games (But Did Help Lucy Gray Win) Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes reveals that Coriolanus Snow had been a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games, but this wasn't because he had been a victor.
