"District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety."- Katniss Everdeen
District 12 is one of the poorest districts in Panem. They have 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 specializes in coal mining.
Upper and Lower
Like almost all the districts, District 12 has a upper and lower parts- the merchant part and "The Seam".
Merchant
This area of the District is definitely a step up from the Seam, but has no where near the wealth of the other districts. The Mayor and his daughter, Madge, along with other families such as Peeta Mellark's, are all well-to-do, for district 12.
The Merchant section does exactly what it's name implies-trades and buys goods. With the district's known coal mines, they can make some trades here and there to the capitol, and very occasionally other districts. The Capitol tries to have the districts as separated and uncommunicative as possible, to prevent another rebellion from starting.
The Seam
- Main article: The Seam
The Seam is the poorest part of District 12, and where Katniss and Gale reside. The Seam is on the border of District 12, next to the wild forests of the unknown area adjacent to District 13. It's extremely hard to find food in the Seam, and many families live in poverty. Families with large numbers, such as Gale's, have a unlikely chance of having all the member 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 are crowded with tired and worn down coal miners heading to work everyday. Everything in this part of the District is dusty with coal soot, including household goods such as mirrors and chairs.
Boundaries
A tall, electric gate surrounds the district. According to the officials and Peacekeepers from the district, it is supposedly electrified twenty-four seven, but Katniss knows from her escapades that this is not so.
Officially, the gate is said to be there to keep the wild animals that roam the woods out. It is likely that it is actually meant to keep the people in.
Past Tributes
District 12 is not known for its winning tributes. In fact, out of 73 years of Hunger Games, only two tributes have won the brutal Games, and only one is still alive, Haymitch Abernathy. 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 is Effie Trinket, a bubbly, airheaded lady from The Capitol.