Hunger Games Panem Map Guide: Every Location Explained

Arriving in theaters on November 20, 2026, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping returns to District 12, following a young Haymitch Abernathy 24 years before Katniss Everdeen's story. Selected for the 50th Hunger Games, Haymitch must compete against 47 other tributes in the Second Quarter Quell. His journey takes him from District 12's coal-mining community to the Capitol, where tributes prepare for the Games before entering an arena filled with forests, open valleys, and deadly hazards.

Panem occupies what remains of North America, with the Capitol controlling 13 districts responsible for supplying the nation with goods and resources. Places like District 12 produce coal, District 4 supplies fish, and District 3 manufactures electronics. Beyond these industries, each district has its own important locations. In District 12, the Seam, the Hob, and the Hanging Tree connect the stories of Lucy Gray Baird, Haymitch Abernathy, and Katniss Everdeen, whose lives unfold in the same mining community decades apart.

The original Hunger Games movies explore Panem largely through Katniss's journey, while The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes shows the Capitol and District 12 during Coriolanus Snow's youth. The upcoming prequel adds another period in the nation's history, revealing what District 12 looks like during Haymitch's upbringing and introducing the arena built for the Second Quarter Quell. From the Capitol's tribute facilities to the neighborhoods of District 12, these locations show how Panem has changed over the decades and where the major events of each Hunger Games movie take place.

Hunger Games’ Panem Explained

What Happened To The World Outside Of Panem?

Panem, named after the Latin panem et circenses, or "bread and circuses,” emerged from the remains of North America following natural disasters, wars, and the collapse of the previous civilization. Rising sea levels reshaped the continent, leaving the Capitol and 13 districts to occupy the surviving land. Each district was assigned an industry to supply the nation, while the Capitol controlled its resources and government. Following a failed rebellion known as the Dark Days, the Capitol declared District 13 destroyed. Its residents actually survived underground, leaving 12 districts under Capitol control during Katniss Everdeen's story.

Although ordinary citizens are largely forbidden from traveling between districts, Panem isn't completely isolated. Trains carry goods and Hunger Games tributes across the country, while Peacekeepers maintain the Capitol's authority. As a result, most residents have little firsthand knowledge of other districts, even though their own communities depend on the goods produced elsewhere in Panem.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes shows a map of Panem during Lucky Flickerman's televised weather report, revealing where the Capitol and its 13 districts are located across what remains of North America. Suzanne Collins's novels leave many district boundaries unclear, which has led to different interpretations of their locations over the years. The map featured in the film provides the clearest layout of the districts thus far, although some geographical details may differ from those established in the books.

The Capitol

The Technologically Advanced Seat Of Power In Panem

Located in the Rocky Mountains, roughly where Colorado once stood, the Capitol is Panem's political center and home to President Coriolanus Snow. The Capitol enjoys the wealth generated by the districts, with advanced technology, extravagant fashions, and luxurious residences throughout the city. Peacekeepers maintain its control over Panem, while the Capitol's arenas and entertainment venues host the annual Hunger Games and their accompanying ceremonies.

In The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the Capitol is still recovering from the Dark Days, and its residents aren't all living in luxury. Snow shares a crumbling apartment with his cousin Tigris, while the Plinth family enjoys a lavish home despite having only recently moved from District 2. At the prestigious Academy, Snow and his classmates gather in Heavensbee Hall to receive their assignments as mentors for the 10th Hunger Games. Other Capitol landmarks include the Corso, a wide avenue featuring a fountain and a statue of Panem, and the War Department, where Dr. Gaul develops genetically engineered creatures and weapons for the Hunger Games.

Among the changes to the Hunger Games that follow are purposefully built arenas, completely replacing the war-damaged amphitheater. By the 50th Games in Sunrise on the Reaping, tributes are prepared at the Training Center, participate in chariot parades through the city, and appear in televised interviews before entering the arena.

The original Hunger Games trilogy introduces the Avenue of the Tributes, which leads through the Capitol to City Circle, where President Snow's mansion overlooks the square. The mansion has Snow's private rose garden, while the nearby Training Center houses tributes in district-specific apartments above its underground practice facilities. During Mockingjay, the Capitol's streets, residential buildings, and public squares are fitted with concealed traps known as pods, turning much of the city into a heavily defended military zone.

District 1

Creates Luxury Goods And Career Tributes

District 1 sits northwest of the Capitol in the Rocky Mountain region, covering territory generally associated with present-day Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. While other districts supply Panem with necessities like food and electricity, District 1 produces the jewelry, gemstones, and other luxury goods enjoyed by Capitol residents. Its proximity to the capital makes it one of Panem's wealthier districts, although the exact boundaries shown on different maps vary.

That wealth also sets District 1 apart when it comes to the Hunger Games. Like Districts 2 and 4, it produces Career tributes who train for years before volunteering for the competition. Glimmer and Marvel represent District 1 during the 74th Games, while siblings Cashmere and Gloss return as previous victors for the 75th. Sunrise on the Reaping introduces Silka Sharp and Panache Barker, two District 1 tributes who join the Career alliance during the 50th Games. Despite its privileged position, District 1 still has to send its children into the arena.

District 2

Panem's Masonry Hub

District 2 occupies part of the Rocky Mountains, south of the Capitol, in territory associated with present-day Colorado and New Mexico. Its stone quarries supply building materials throughout Panem, with mining villages tucked among the mountains. Some of these settlements later become housing and training facilities for Peacekeepers. The district's largest military stronghold, however, is hidden inside a mountain. Known as the Nut, the former mine contains weapons arsenals, barracks, command centers, and hangars for hovercraft.

Mockingjay gives a closer look at the Nut when rebel forces attempt to capture District 2. A railway connects the base to the district's center square, while steep cliffs and fortified entrances make it difficult to approach from elsewhere. This close relationship with the Capitol's military also helps explain District 2's privileged position. It's one of Panem's wealthier districts, where training for the Hunger Games is encouraged rather than discouraged. Career tributes often volunteer, including Cato and Clove during the 74th Games. Previous victors Brutus and Enobaria also return for the 75th.

District 3

Specializes In Panem's Electronics

Televisions, computers, and much of the electronic equipment used throughout Panem are manufactured in District 3. Its factories support the Capitol's technological advancements, although the workers producing these devices enjoy few of the same privileges. Geographically, District 3 is generally placed in the western United States, with maps showing it across parts of present-day California, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. The movies spend little time in District 3 itself, giving very few glimpses of the factories and neighborhoods where its residents live and work.

In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, former victors Beetee and Wiress put the technical skills they learned in District 3 to use inside the arena. Wiress figures out that the arena operates like a clock, while Beetee devises a plan involving the lightning that strikes a tree at regular intervals. Neither would have been out of place working with the electronics produced in their home district. Sunrise on the Reaping brings Beetee back into the story when his son Ampert is chosen for the 50th Hunger Games. It also reveals that Beetee knows enough about the Capitol's communications network to find ways of interfering with it, putting his knowledge of electronics to use against the very government District 3 helps supply.

District 4

Panem's Fisheries District

District 4 is one of the few places in Panem where daily life revolves around the ocean. Located along the western coastline, in territory associated with present-day California and neighboring regions, the district supplies much of the seafood consumed in the Capitol. Fishing boats, nets, and other equipment are essential to its economy, and residents learn to swim and work on the water from an early age. The movies reveal little about its fishing communities or harbors, but its access to the sea helps make District 4 one of Panem's wealthier districts.

That experience on the water also comes in handy during the Hunger Games. In Catching Fire, Finnick Odair shows off his skill with a trident, a weapon commonly used for spearfishing. District 4 also has a reputation for producing Career tributes, many of whom spend years training before volunteering for the Games. Its previous victors include Annie Cresta and Mags Flanagan, who won the 11th Hunger Games. Mags returns in Sunrise on the Reaping as a mentor for the 50th Games, long before Finnick Odair becomes one of District 4's most recognizable victors.

District 5

The Power Supply Of Panem

District 5 keeps the lights on across Panem, generating the electricity that powers the Capitol and other districts. Maps place it southwest of the Capitol, around present-day Arizona and Utah, although its exact borders are uncertain. One of District 5's most important facilities is its enormous hydroelectric dam, which uses rushing water to produce much of the electricity needed to keep Panem running.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 shows the scale of District 5's dam, with its towering concrete walls holding back an enormous reservoir and water rushing through the structure below. During the rebellion, District 5 workers destroy the dam, cutting off a major source of electricity for the Capitol. The movies offer few other peaks of the district, leaving its towns and residential neighborhoods largely unexplored. Foxface, who competes in the 74th Hunger Games, is one of District 5's best-known residents, though the films never show where she lived before entering the arena.

District 6

Manufactures Panem's Vehicles

District 6 builds the vehicles that move people and supplies across Panem, even though its own residents have little freedom to travel beyond their district. Its factories manufacture high-speed trains, cargo trains, hovercraft, and other transportation equipment used by the Capitol. Maps generally place District 6 around present-day Michigan and Illinois, although its exact boundaries remain uncertain. The trains appear throughout the movies, carrying tributes and other passengers across Panem, but the factories where District 6 builds them are never shown.

In Catching Fire, District 6 is mainly represented by two former victors known as the Morphlings, named for their addiction to the painkiller morphling. Sunrise on the Reaping introduces four more District 6 tributes during the 50th Hunger Games, but offers no additional look at where they grew up. Across the movies, District 6 remains largely unexplored, with none of its factories, railway yards, or residential neighborhoods shown on screen. Most of what is known about the district comes from the vehicles it produces rather than the places where its residents live and work.

District 7

Produces Lumber And Paper For Panem

Much of District 7 is covered in dense forests, making logging the backbone of its economy. Located in the Pacific Northwest, roughly where Washington and its neighboring states once stood, the district supplies Panem with lumber, paper, and other wood products. Its residents spend much of their working lives cutting down trees and preparing timber for shipment. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 gives us a look at the district itself, showing enormous trees and logging grounds where workers labor under the supervision of armed Peacekeepers.

Axes are everyday tools in District 7, which helps explain why its tributes are pretty skilled at using them as weapons. Johanna Mason, who won the 71st Hunger Games, carries an axe when she returns for the 75th. The movies spend little time exploring District 7 beyond its logging grounds, offering little context of the towns and neighborhoods where its workers live.

District 8

Panem's Producer Of Textiles

District 8 is packed with textile factories that produce clothing, fabrics, and Peacekeeper uniforms for the Capitol. Maps generally place District 8 in eastern Panem, covering parts of what are now Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee. There isn't much open space between the factories and the crowded apartment buildings where workers live. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire gives a brief look at District 8 during Katniss and Peeta's Victory Tour, showing a crowded industrial area with rundown buildings, grimy streets, and little greenery.

Mockingjay – Part 1 shows more of District 8 after the rebellion reaches its industrial neighborhoods. Katniss visits a makeshift hospital packed with wounded residents, with factories and damaged buildings visible throughout the surrounding area. The hospital is housed in a converted warehouse, with rows of makeshift beds filling a space once used for industrial work. When Capitol hovercraft attack, the surrounding streets and buildings suffer extensive damage, leaving the hospital among the district's destroyed facilities.