Panem
In the novel The Hunger Games, at an unspecified time in the future, the nation of "Panem" has risen from the ashes of a post-apocalyptic North America. Panem's seat of power is a utopian city, called "The Capitol," located in the Rocky Mountains. Outside of the Capitol, the nation is divided into twelve districts under the hegemony of an North Korean-style totalitarian government, headed by the dictatorial President Snow. A pre-novel thirteenth district once existed but was destroyed by the Capitol 75 years before the beginning of The Hunger Games narrative during a national rebellion called the Dark Days. However, in Mockingjay, it is revealed that the thirteenth district retreated underground after a brutal rising rebellion that unfortunately failed. This was the main source of the rebellion that happened in Catching Fire and Mockingjay. The Capitol developed the Hunger Games as an annual event to punish the citizens of Panem for their rebellion and to remind citizens of consequences for rebelling against the absolute power of the Capitol.
As revealed in the novel Mockingjay, the name Panem comes from the Latin phrase "Panem et Circenses" which means "bread and circuses."
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