District 2

"Our nation would be nothing without District 2's superb stonework. It builds and fortifies our cities and its citizens are known individually for their strength."

- Description from The Hunger Games: Tribute Guide

District 2 is one of the 12 districts of Panem. It is where most of the Peacekeepers are trained and weapons are manufactured, but originally specialized only in mining and stone cutting. Publicly it is presented as the nation's stone quarries, just as District 13 was known for mining. After the first rebellion, District 2 was rewarded with better treatment from the Capitol and better living conditions for their citizens. It is in the, near the Capitol itself. The district is made up of many small villages, each based around a mine. Although they get preferential treatment from the Capitol, the quarry workers suffer as much as any other district, and the district as a whole is not excluded from the annual Hunger Games.

The Nut
Due to the shift of the Capitol military from District 13 during the Dark Days, the Peacekeeping force, along with a large portion of the Capitol's hovercraft, were housed in a large mountain previously used for mining in the middle of District 2. Train tracks from the mountain lead into District 2's square. After the mountain was thoroughly mined, the internal infrastructure was reinforced and barracks, arsenals, computer terminals, and meeting rooms were constructed, turning the mountain into a military base. After Plutarch Heavensbee described it as "a tough nut to crack", Katniss Everdeen relayed this remark to the rebel leadership of District 2, resulting in the mountain being nicknamed the "Nut". Numerous rebel attempts to capture the entrances were defeated as these had been designed to be near impervious to attack, resulting in a stalemate.

However Gale Hawthorne noticed avalanche paths on the side of the mountain and realized that an alternative to capturing the Nut would be to disable it. Boggs realized from examining the Nut's blueprints that its ventilation system was its weak point, as these would be blocked up by avalanches. Beetee suggested leaving the train tunnel to the square open as the only means of escape, which Gale was against, as he was seeking retribution for the fire bombing of District 12. It was decided to leave the tunnel intact to give the survivors a chance to surrender, but anticipating that the escapees would be armed and desperate, the rebels fortified the buildings surrounding the square with machine gun nests. When the Nut was bombed by rebellion hovercraft, the resulting avalanches shut off many entrances and air vents. The survivors did not initially escape through the tunnel, but suddenly rushed two trains into the station when Katniss started to broadcast an appeal to surrender. After she tried to convince an injured young man to surrender and was shot, the District 2 workers who had escaped turned on the soldiers, allowing the rebels to stand by and watch.

Known tributes


District 2 children are raised with a warrior mindset in preparation for becoming Peacekeepers. The tributes are typically Career Tributes, some of whom volunteer to participate, as winning is a great honor in Career Districts. They tend to be strong and brutish.


 * Clove, tribute to the 74th Hunger Games
 * Cato, tribute to the 74th Hunger Games
 * Brutus, tribute to the 75th Hunger Games and victor of the 52nd Hunger Games
 * Enobaria, tribute to the 75th Hunger Games and victor of the 62nd Hunger Games
 * Lyme, a victor of a previous Hunger Games

Trivia

 * In the film adaptation of The Hunger Games, Haymitch remarks that tributes from Districts 1 and 2 are trained for the Games at special academies until they reach the age of 18.
 * The Nut has similarities to the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center in the United States, as part of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD).
 * In the 74th Hunger Games, the District 2 tributes are the last Careers to die.