Hunger Games map explores world of Panem

The final installment of the hit film franchise The Hunger Games will be released today – much to the excitement of its millions of fans who are captivated by the post-apocalyptic world of Panem.

Actress Jennifer Lawrence attends a special screening of “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2″ at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in New York. Image by Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Based on the popular book series, the story takes place in the country of Panem, which is located where North America is now.  The country is divided into districts, each with their own special characteristics. The film’s heroine, Katniss Everdeen, is from an area called District 12 – the poorest area of the country, which fans have long known is located in Appalachia. However, much of the other locations remained obscure in the books.

Map of Panem. Image by Hunger Games Exhibit

But, following the excitement over the films, a Hunger Games exhibition was created and with it came a map of Panem, showing the new borders of the new world.

With coastal flooding eating up much of North America’s coastlines, it can be expected that much of the countries’ biggest and brightest cities – Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Houston, New Orleans, Miami, Washington and Philadelphia, are all underwater in Panem.

However, that does explain why the new capital – the Capitol in Panem – is located somewhere in the Rocky Mountains and away from the country’s current metropolises.

As the books technically take place in North America, it’s possible to travel to the regions mentioned in the books and movie. Back in 2012, the state of North Carolina – which is home to 88 miles of the Appalachian Trail – expected a bump in tourism from the first film, which was filmed in an abandoned mill town in the state.

View from Andrews Bald on Forney Ridge Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. Image by Miguel Vieira / CC BY 2.0

But, seeing the world as it is today may not get some fans close enough to the land of Panem.

Those fans can get something a bit more Hunger Games-related, as Atlanta Movie Tours offers tours of the set where the second film was made.

Actors, from left, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence and Julianne Moore attend a special screening of “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2″ at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in New York. Image by Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

There is also The Hunger Games: The Exhibition in New York, which features costumes, props, set recreations, interactive experiences and more. The exhibit will move to San Francisco in February 2016 at the Innovation Hanger of the Palace of Fine Arts Exhibition Hall in San Francisco.