In Suzanne Collins’s dystopian novel The Hunger Games, the story takes place in the nation of Panem.
Panem is a future country built from the ruins of North America. It consists of the wealthy Capitol and multiple districts that provide labor and resources. The Capitol maintains control through political repression, economic inequality, and the annual Hunger Games.
The name Panem comes from the Latin phrase “panem et circenses,” usually translated as “bread and circuses.” That phrase describes rulers distracting a population with food and public entertainment. Collins’s fictional nation turns that idea into a televised spectacle involving children selected from the districts.
The Capitol is Panem’s governing center, not the name of the whole country. District 13 is a district associated with rebellion, while Panem includes the Capitol and the districts within one political system.