District 12

"District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety."

- Katniss Everdeen

District 12 was one of the poorest districts in Panem. It was located in the Appalachian mountains. They had not won The Games for many years prior to The Hunger Games, since Haymitch Abernathy, an alcoholic and an embarrassment to the District, won the 50th Annual Games. District 12 specialized in coal mining. It was destroyed by firebombs during the end of Catching Fire.

Areas
District 12 consisted of two different areas: the merchant part and "the Seam".

The Seam
The Seam is the poorest part of District 12, and where Katniss and Gale resided. The Seam was on the border of District 12, next to the wild forests of the unknown area adjacent to District 13. It was extremely hard to find food in the Seam, and many families lived in poverty. Families with large numbers, such as Gale's, have an unlikely chance of having all the members live long lives. An adult who lives to be very old is respected and thought of as wise.

Early in the morning, the streets of the Seam were crowded with tired and worn down coal miners heading to work. Everything in that part of the district was covered in a layer of coal dust.

Merchant
This area of the District was definitely a step-up from the Seam. The Mayor and his daughter, Madge, along with other families such as Peeta Mellark's, live in the Merchant area and are well-off for District 12.

The Merchant section did exactly what its name implied- trades and buys goods. With the district's coal mines, they made some trades to the Capitol, and very occasionally other districts. The Capitol tries to keep the districts as separated as possible, to prevent any communication amongst each other, which could have lead to another rebellion.

Boundaries
A twenty-foot high electric fence surrounded the district. According to the officials and Peacekeepers from the district, it was supposedly electrified twenty-four seven, but Katniss knows from her escapades that this is not so.

In theory, the gate was said to be there to keep out the wild animals that roam the woods. It is likely that it was actually meant to keep the people in.

The Hob
The Hob is District Twelves Black Market. This is where Katniss and Gale go to sell their excess Game. You can buy many things at the Hob, varying from some of Greasy Sae's Soup or even a Goat.

Past tributes
District 12 is not known for its winning tributes. In fact, in the first 73 years of Hunger Games, only two tributes had won the brutal Games, and only one is still alive, Haymitch Abernathy. The other victor is unknown. When both Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen win the 74th Hunger Games, it comes as a shock to all of Panem.


 * Maysilee Donner- 50th Hunger Games tribute.


 * Haymitch Abernathy- Winner of the 50th Hunger Games.


 * Katniss Everdeen- Co-winner of the 74th Hunger Games, participant of the 75th Hunger Games.


 * Peeta Mellark- Co-winner of the 74th Hunger Games, participant of the 75th Hunger Games.

Escorts
The only known escort for District 12 was Effie Trinket, a bubbly, air-headed lady from the Capitol.

Destruction
At the end of Catching Fire, Gale sees Katniss on their way to District 13, and tells her that there is no District 12, and it was destroyed by the Capitol. The details are unknown, and it was likely that the Capitol bombed it, as they did 75 years earlier to District 13.