District 12

"One of the outer districts, this is nonetheless a crucial one. These brave and hardy workers descend deep into the earth each day to mine the coal that keeps our nation running."

- Description from The Hunger Games: Tribute Guide

District 12 is the poorest district in the nation of Panem.

Located in the Appalachia and with a population of around 8,000 people, District 12's main industry was coal mining.

Areas and places
District 12 consisted of four different areas: The Seam, the merchant section, the Victors' Village, and The Hob.

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

- Katniss Everdeen

The Seam was the poorest part of District 12 and where Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne had lived. The Seam was located on the border of District 12, next to the wild forests. It was extremely hard to find food in there, and many families lived in poverty. Because of this, an adult who lives to be very old is respected and thought of as wise. Many who live there were missing members of their family, due to mining accidents or from starvation. Also, Katniss mentioned that they only have electricity a few hours a day, so they mostly use candles for light.

Early in the mornings, 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 due to the coal mining of the region.

Typically, residents of the Seam have dark hair, grey eyes, and an olive complexion, which is why Prim and her mother always looked so out of place in the Seam, as they both had blonde hair and bright blue eyes, due to Mrs. Everdeen's heritage.

Merchant section
This area of the District was definitely a step-up from the Seam. The mayor and his daughter, along with other families such as Peeta Mellark's, lived in the merchant area and are well-off for District 12. It was mentioned by Katniss that the merchants "lived above their businesses," suggesting that the merchants' homes doubled as their shops as well.

The merchant section did exactly what its name implied - trading and buying goods. With the district's coal mines, they made some trades to the Capitol and occasionally to the other districts.

Residents of the merchant area's appearances set them apart from residents of the Seam, as most of them have blonde hair and blue eyes.

Katniss's mother originally lived in the merchant section, but she moved to the Seam to live with her husband after she got married.

The Hob
The Hob was District 12's black market. This was where Katniss and Gale went to sell or trade their excess game. Many things were available for purchase or trade at the Hob, varying from some of Greasy Sae's soup, a goat, or white liquor made by Ripper. It was later burned down by Peacekeepers in Catching Fire.

Victors' Village
The Victors' Village is a small village where past victors of previous Hunger Games dwell in. The houses are grand and luxurious compared to the houses in District 12. The only inhabitants of District 12's village are Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, and Haymitch Abernathy.

The Justice Building
The Justice Building of District 12 was used for formal administration such as registration of marriages, a place for tributes to bid goodbye to their loved ones, and the occasional medal of valour for the oldest child in the families of miners who died in mining accidents, like Katniss and Gale's fathers had.

Weddings
"Back home everything is so much simpler. A woman usually rents a white dress that's been worn hundreds of times. The man wears something clean that's not mining clothes. They fill out some forms at the Justice Building and are assigned a house. Family and friends gather for a meal or bit of cake, if it can be afforded. Even if it can't, there's always a traditional song we sing as the new couple crosses the threshold of their home. And we have our own little ceremony, where they make their first fire, toast a bit of bread, and share it. Maybe it's old-fashioned, but no one really feels married in District 12 until after the toasting."

- Catching Fire

The Square
The square is where the reapings are held every year to see who will be put into the Hunger Games.

Jobs
Some jobs in District 12 include:


 * Coal miner


 * Geologist


 * Blaster


 * Surveyor


 * Metallurgist
 * Hob Merchant

Boundaries
A twenty-foot high electric fence surrounded the district. According to the officials and Peacekeepers from the district, it was "electrified" twenty-four hours a day, but Katniss could tell if it was currently electrified or not. In Catching Fire, the district was given a new Head Peacekeeper named Thread, but when Katniss went out into the woods and came back, the charge was on. The fence was electrified twenty-four hours a day from then on. In theory, the gate was said to be there to keep out the wild animals that roam the woods. Although, it is more likely that it was meant to keep the people in.

Past tributes
District 12 is known for having tributes that don't emerge victorious. In fact, in the first 73 years of Hunger Games, only two tributes had won, and only one is still alive, Haymitch Abernathy. The other victor is unknown and is now dead.


 * Unknown tributes of the 73rd Hunger Games -- mentioned in the first book.
 * Maysilee Donner — 50th Hunger Games tribute.


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

Escorts
The only known escort for District 12 was Effie Trinket, a bubbly, pink-haired, air-headed lady from the Capitol. However, it was shown, in the recap of Haymitch's Games, that there was another escort before Effie. Effie was reluctant and slightly unwelcoming to the tributes as she felt as though she was bound to be promoted to a better district.

Destruction
At the end of Catching Fire, Gale sees Katniss on her way to District 13 and informs her that there is no District 12. It was destroyed with fire bombs by the Capitol. The only thing that wasn't destroyed was the Victor's Village. In Mockingjay, District 12 slowly rebuilds after the war.

Reconstruction
During the second war, the rebels used District 12 as a forward transportation base to send troops to the Capitol. Katniss and Squad 451 were taken there before being transported to the Capitol. After Panem's second war, Katniss and Haymitch returned to District 12. Peeta eventually returned as well. Most of the remains of District 12 citizens were buried in a mass grave. A medicine factory was constructed, and District 12 began to rebuild. The filled-in mass grave is now the meadow. In the epilogue, this is where Katniss and Peeta's children play. Later, they agree to tell them one day about who they were and what they died for. Katniss and Peeta live in their home in the Victor's Village. They also start making medicine for the country instead of producing coal, due to the mines being closed.

Trivia

 * All the living victors of District 12: Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta have killed Careers sometime in their Games. Katniss killed Glimmer, Marvel, Cato, Gloss, and a female from 4, Peeta killed Brutus, and Haymitch killed four unnamed Careers in his Games.
 * All of the living victors of District 12 have competed in a Quarter Quell.