User blog comment:JERealize/What lies beyond Panem?/@comment-98.234.2.17-20130706070649

Here is my best guess as to what happened. Antarctica: An unknown super-volcano, much like the one that caused the Toba catastrophe, erupts inland. This causes the earth to rapidly heat up at first, as the volcanic ash burns off the middle atmosphere layer. But later, it will cause the earth to cool down as the ash blocks the sun in some places.

Africa: Droughts cause the Sahara to expand rapidly, causing north Africa's population to migrate further towards the coast. Those that are adapted to a nomadic life continue, but are spread so thin that only about 450 people live in the Sahara total. However, the Nile countries are exempt from the death, and (after some dams are destroyed to increase seasonal flooding) The countries of Egypt,the Sudans, Ethiopia, and Tanzania unite and annex near by smaller nations. South Africa collapses into several smaller kingdoms, many of which pay tribute to the Nile republic.

Europe: after droughts and famine, most European countries come to rely on Ukrainian grain for food.( Great Britain and Ireland are the exemptions, as they becomes so reliant on fishing that several petty wars over fishing territory erupt constantly.) France and Spain unite as one country, and Poland invaids Germany and the Lithuanian states. Russia splits into two nations because environmental change made the uril mountion range unpassable.

Middle East: Saudi Arabia takes control of the whole Arabian peninsula, but the lack of trade collapses their economy, so much so that Somalian pirates are hired to bring slave from Africa and India in exchange for safe-haven(much like the Barbary pirates). Drought forces Mesopotamia into a bunch of city states resembling district 13. Israel invades Lebanon and western Syria, but constant power struggles with Saudi Arabia force them to become entirely devoted to military(like ancient Sparta). Turky also becomes dependent on Ukrainian grain and eventually become a sphere of influence.

Asia: Japan gets flooded, but the few survivors move into the highlands. However, Japan, Tiawan, and south koria unite as one country. China absorbes north koria, vietnam, and northern Cambodia. Despite droughts and floods, China's population still increases to the point that the Chinese government adopts a weekly version of the hunger games, and still randomly executes pregnant women by lottery. This horrifies the public to the point that civil war breaks out, with the democracy side supported by japano-south korea, and china supported by the Siberian city states. India developes a trade network with Australia and the two countries divide Indonesia amongst themselves.

Australia: since Australia is united, they largely avoid negative enviromental effects. They develop trade and colonism (see above), while New Zealand becomes isolationist.

South America: after pope Francis xxiii is martyred, the Holy See is relocated to Brazil. Brazil conquers Colombia, venesualia, and the Guiana's. Argentina conquers Paraguay and terra del fuago. Chile is completely flooded.

Panem: North America avoids war and unites, both thanks to NORAD( district-2 lore clames that NORAD was the predesser to peacekeepers). After conditions worsens heavy reformers organizes the nation into district 13 districts.Eventuially General McClellose Snow launches a coup and ends democracy.His family would ruld until they were overthrown by the mocking jay' revolution.

Policy: The Capitol elite knew of other countries, but the lack of international intervention was the result of most countries being dictatorships.The capitol resurved 50% of the peacekeepers forces to act as a mercinary force in excange for part of the enployer nations GNP(often fighting on both sides, against eachother sometimes)Austraila, the Japano-south korean republic, India, ireland,great britian,and brazil were the only democracies. Most countries applauded the Capitol and banned religion like they did.(the democracies still had freedom of religion, the middle eastern countries had state religions, and the Nile republic had freedom of religion despite being ruled by an emperor. The mocking jays revolution likely resulted in the Chinese civil war turning into a full blown wwiii.