The Capitol of Panem

the Capitol of Panem is a fortress city where the wealthy and powerful people of the nation reside. Not only are the Games controlled from this point, but so are the twelve (previously thirteen) districts. The Capitol is a tyrranical dictatorship that was run by President Snow before his death. It is also the only major city to be mentioned. It is thought to be located in the northwestern section of the former United States of America, seemingly in the Rocky Mountains. It is likely that it is in the current day state of Colorado.

It is known for its food, and fashion. The Rockies also acted as a natural barrier and proved useful for the Capitol, allowing their air forces to bomb the rebels attempting to invade the city.

Style and fashion are very important to the aristocratic citizens of the Capitol. It is common for them to tattoo and dye their bodies, as well as undergo plastic surgery to alter their appearances. Known results of the surgeries, as stated by Katniss Everdeen, are whiskers, dyed skin, talons, and more fashions not mentioned. Some people of the Capitol also have gems implanted in their skin, as noted by Katniss. Capitol residents also frequently wear wigs in a multitude of colors. The other districts think the people from the Capitol are different and odd. In order to have a good time at a party and eat as much as they want, Capitol residents drink a special liquid (like ipecac), that causes them to vomit, thus providing room for more food. The residents seem almost oblivious to the fact that, although they go through lots of food and still have plenty left over, many of the district’s residents are starving. The food Capitol residents eat is extremely rich.

the people who live in the Capitol speak with strange accents; their voices are high pitched, their jaws barely open when talking, and the ends of their sentences going up as if they’re asking a question. They have odd vowels, clipped words, and tend to hiss the letter “s.” The exception to this is Cinna, Katniss Everdeen’s stylist during the 74th Annual Hunger Games.

It is noted in the film that residents of The Capitol stay awake late into the night and sleep late into the day, as such the first day of The Hunger Games does not begin until about ten o’clock.

Capitol residents have often been said to treat the Hunger Games like a sport and as a highly anticipated source of entertainment, and take pride in betting on the tributes simply for bragging rights if they happen to sponsor an eventual winner. Some are sponsors to the tributes, giving them money to receive packages in the arena. Also, the more blood and fighting there is in the arena, the greater the entertainment for the Capitol.
It is also observed that they are unhappy about the victors being thrown into the arena once more for the 3rd Quarter Quell, because they have grown attached to the victors. Many Capitol citizens wanted to stop the Hunger Games from happening.

Before the Dark Days, the districts were brought together under the Capitol’s rule, thus forming the nation of Panem. Originally, there were thirteen districts, until District 13 was supposedly destroyed by Capitol forces, due to being the driving force of the rebellion. Though the districts harvest great amounts of resources, such as fish, coal, lumber, crops, and gems, they must export almost all of their resources to serve the Capitol’s citizens. As a result, many districts, such as 12 and 11, do not have enough coal to power their own district or enough food to feed their citizens (respectively). Districts 1, 2, and 4 generally have a better relationship with the Capitol and therefore receive more, have better food, and are graced with other various goods.