District 13

"The result was Panem, a shining capitol ringed by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizens. Then came the Dark Days, the uprising of the districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated."

- Katniss Everdeen, on District 13's creation and destruction.

District 13 is a former district of Panem that was thought to be destroyed by the Capitol during the first rebellion. It is said to be uninhabitable, the ruins still smoldering from the toxic bombs dropped on it. However, the district is actually fully operational but hidden underground, and in an agreement with the Capitol to remain independent and in exchange, not to start a nuclear war with Panem. Its industries were mining graphite and nuclear science/technology. This is the reason that the Capitol agreed to leave them alone.

In Catching Fire, Bonnie and Twill tell Katniss of the mockingjay that has repeatedly been seen flying across the corner of the screen when the Capitol is supposedly televising new footage of District 13. The ruins are always smoldering and the same news reporter is talking in front of the rubble. This reveals that the Capitol never actually shows the current state of the district, but instead always replays old footage. Bonnie and Twill believe that there is a civilization living underground. At the end of Catching Fire, Katniss learns that District 13 is being used as a base for the new rebellion.

District 13's leader is President Coin. It is unclear where District 13 is located. Mockingjay gives a hint that it is under the ruins of Washington D.C.

Everyday life
In District 13, the citizens are put on a strict schedule everyday printed on their forearm. On the schedule, it shows what that person needs to do. It shows the specific activity, and the time showed in 24-hour time. Certain activities that are scheduled every morning are breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other activities are the Command, where citizens of 13 write down what they want changed or added to the schedule. The schedule also depends on the age. If you are an age of teens, you go to school where you study classes on history or other subjects. If you are old enough to work, you work in the kitchen, or the hospital. During the day, you are arranged a strict 30 minute down time with family. People are not allowed to have outside pets, as a precaution. But in the a deal established by Katniss Everdeen (a deal that President Coin calls the Mockingjay deal), she asked for permission for her younger sister, Primrose Everdeen, to keep the small tom cat named Buttercup she took care of in District 12. Buttercup is let outside to find food, but his comings and goings are strictly controlled. Katniss also requested special hunting time. President Coin accepted, but stipulated that she could only hunt within a strict 1/4-mile radius for a time span of two hours. She could only hunt with Gale Hawthorne, and use the game that they caught for the kitchen in District 13. During one of Gale's busy hours, Katniss went out hunting with Finnick Odair instead. They each had a GPS attached to their ankle, and if they ran away, they would be executed.

History
In Mockingjay, it is revealed that District 13 was never destroyed, but that they moved underground due to a treaty with the Capitol: if District 13 stayed hidden underground with no contact anywhere else, playing dead, the Capitol wouldn't bother them. The reason that the Capitol was willing to sign this treaty is that District 13 specialized in nuclear weapons, and District 13 had trained their nuclear missiles on the Capitol, threatening to destroy them.

When District 13 gained independence from Panem, it also gained a valuable asset in nuclear weapons, and had a non-aggression pact with the Capitol, ensuring its safety. When District 13 relocated underground, they began developing and manufacturing new types of weaponry and later did so for the rebel armed forces during the 2nd Rebellion. It is also mentioned that there was a disease that spread through District 13, lowering the population and making most of the survivors infertile. For that reason, District 13 was eager to accept refugees as "breeding stock" and there were very few children in the district.

Weddings are conducted as a couple signs a paper and moves into a compartment together.

After the third Quarter Quell, the survivors were taken there, along with the refugees from the bombing of District 12. The tributes of the Quarter Quell were cared for and trained for the rebellion. Beetee built specialized weaponry, Katniss became the Mockingjay symbol, Finnick narrated propos, and so on.