Earth

Earth, or the World of Avatar, is the world divided into the Four Nations and home to a multitude of species, namely humans. World is a common name for the sum of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general. The World of Avatar plays home to benders, and hundreds of chimerical creatures.

Geography
The World of Avatar is divided into four separate nations: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation and the Air Nomads. Each location has unique geographical layouts, civilizations, climates and demography and each one has a diverse range of landforms.

Air Nomads
The Air Nomads were a civilization composed of people who practiced the art of Airbending. While nomadic, Air Nomads did inhabit four major Air Temples, each built atop remote mountain ranges. The Air Nomads were a highly spiritual group of people. Being that their economy was based solely on agriculture, they were the smallest of the four nations.

Water Tribe
The Water Tribe is a collective term for people, some of whom practice the art of Waterbending, who follow a government system in the form of a tribal chiefdom. Although members of the Water Tribe typically inhabit the polar regions, the North Pole and the South Pole, there is a small population of Waterbenders who inhabit the foggy swamp in Earth Kingdom territory. The two main tribes are the Northern Water Tribe at the North Pole and the Southern Water Tribe at the South Pole.

Earth Kingdom
The Earth Kingdom is a massive continent led by the Earth King and is home to people who practice the art of Earthbending. The people of the Earth Kingdom are strong and persistent. Being the largest of the four nations, it is ethnically diverse with a variance of customs and cultural traditions. The geography of the Earth Kingdom varies tremendously, ranging from wooded forests to blazing deserts, mountainous terrain and grassy plains.

Fire Nation
The Fire Nation is home to people who practice the art of Firebending and is an absolute monarchy led by the Fire Lord. Being composed of several major islands and located on the equator, the nation is considered to be an archipelago. Its economy is the largest and most powerful in the world with a strong industrial sector and advanced technological developments. The climate is normally humid and warm which allows for a diversity of flora and fauna to thrive.

Bending Arts


One of the most unique features about the World of Avatar is the ability to bend the elements. The bending techniques, Waterbending, Earthbending, Firebending and Airbending are dispersed across the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation and the Air Nomads respectively. Each nation has its bending masters, who train the younger benders how to use their abilities, and pass the culture through the generations. Bending abilities are significant to all aspects of life in the World of Avatar.

Avatar
The Avatar is the spirit of the planet incarnated in human form and possesses the ability to bend all four elements. The Avatar acts as the bridge between the Physical World and the Spirit World. It is seen as the Avatar's duty to master all four bending disciplines, so they can keep balance among the four nations. With the death of the Avatar, the spirit is reborn into the following nation, dictated by the cyclic order: Water, Earth, Fire, Air. The Avatar is highly revered by people of all kinds and each nation has its own temple devoted solely to the Avatar.

Flora and Fauna
Most of the fauna seen in the World of Avatar are chimeras, or crossbreeds of two real world animals. There are some notable unhybridized creatures, however. Flora in the World of Avatar varies greatly between the Four Nations, depending on the weather and climate. While the desolate, frozen landscapes of the poles don't allow for much flora to thrive, warm, moist landscapes in the Earth Kingdom allow for a diversity of plant life to survive. Fauna is used primarily as a source of food, and transport across desolate landscapes, such as the Si Wong Desert. They are also used as a source of clothing, and some animals are even an icon for religious beliefs, in terms of the Spirit World. Flora is utilized for decorations, gifts, and tea.

Occupations
There are a diversity of occupations in the World of Avatar, most of which are associated with the fulfillment of the basic needs of citizens. Certain places, such as the Ba Sing Se University, specialize in training and preparing citizens in the handling and developing of professions. While there are only a select few careers to pursue in the Air Nomad civilization, a wide range of occupations is open to people in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation due to their large economies and numerous industries.

Cuisine
Cuisine in the Avatar World can be divided into roughly four traditions, which follow the division of the Four Nations, however regional variation inside each nation can be large, particularly in the Earth Kingdom. Most dishes, particularly those of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, are heavily influenced by Asian cuisine, particularly that of China, and many are actual dishes. Chopsticks are the primary eating utensil worldwide.

Economy
All Four Nations in the World of Avatar have, or previously had, developed economic systems. The Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation have developed sophisticated and advanced economic systems to facilitate and supplement their daily life. The Water Tribe and Air Nomads have relatively small economic systems. It is known that foreign money can be accepted as currency in some nations.

Currency
The currency of the Four Nations seems to be based on precious metals and quite possibly on a Gold Standard. All nations that use currency seem to use the same metals though fashion them in different shapes and sizes. The coins of the Earth Kingdom are fashioned in the shape of the national emblem, though gold pieces have four notches on the edge, giving them a flower-like shape, whereas those of the Fire Nation are fashioned with their national emblem situated in the middle. Water Tribe money is somewhat different. Their circular coins are colored white, surrounded by a blue circle and have a hole in the centre.

As shown in "Avatar Day", it is the metal that is valuable, and not the currency itself, much as it was in many parts of the world before the adoption of the banknote. Most nations appear to use gold, silver and copper pieces, with gold seemingly having the highest value.

Politics
Politics and government in the World of Avatar are based around several political systems, each of which having its distinctive strengths and weaknesses.

There are four broad types of political systems in the different nations. Each has a distinctive character that corresponds with the element of that native nation. The Air Nomads have a theocracy led by four Councils of Monks or Nuns, the Water Tribe a tribal system led by Chiefs, the Earth Kingdom a confederate monarchy led by the Earth King, and the Fire Nation an absolute monarchy led by the Fire Lord. There are, however, exceptions.

There is one person in the World of Avatar that acts independently of all nations, including the nation of his or her origin. This is the Avatar, who acts as an international authority for peace, justice and order.

Society
Society is a major part of life in the World of Avatar. Social classes are usually based upon titles, wealth, power and accomplishments. Although people are usually born into their social rank, there are some exceptions in which people can gain a higher position due to important service to royals. Society differs between nations, as the peaceful Air Nomads have nowhere near as complicated of a society as the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom.

Military and Weaponry
Each nation, except for the Air Nomads, has a distinct militarial system. The Military of the Fire Nation is the unified armed forces of the Fire Nation. It is the most powerful military force in the world. It would have won the War if not for the intervention of the Avatar. The Military of the Earth Kingdom is the military organization responsible for the defense of the Earth Kingdom. It consists of an army, a navy and several special forces. It wields considerable power, having held off Fire Nation assaults for a century. The Military of the Water Tribe is a group of organizations protecting the Water Tribes. It is divided between the Northern Water Tribe, the Southern Water Tribe and the Foggy Swamp Tribe. Chain of command is not very well defined. There is no overall military commander of the Water Tribe, command being divided between the North and South. It is clear however that the Chiefs of the two tribes have the overall command of their respective tribal militia.

Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships employed to clearly define a chain of command within the military.

Organizations
There are a multitude of organizations in the World of Avatar. They range from vigilante fighting groups to councils of elders dedicated to the peaceful rule of a nation. Organizations can vary from the high ranking Council of Elders to smaller organizations such as the 5-7-5 Society.

Education
In the World of Avatar, education seems to be an important topic. In the Fire Nation, for example, education is seen to play a significant role in the daily lives of children, especially those of the Upper Class and the Royal Family.

Culture
Culture in the World of Avatar is heavily influenced by Asian cultures and traditions. There are a diversity of cultural arts ranging from visual arts, including portraits and paintings, to sacred dances and rituals. Writing and literature are an integral part of society. All four nations use a common system of characters borrowed from the Chinese system for daily purposes. Citizens primarily use writing for communication and literary purposes, but there are some who practice calligraphy.

Music is an important cultural aspect for all four nations. A variety of instruments are played, such as the Tsungi Horn and Pipa, as well as a variety of songs. People from all the nations enjoy playing music which serves as the prime source of entertainment. Songs in the World of Avatar range from ancient songs passed through generations or simply popular folk songs.

Cultural traditions vary depending on nation. For instance, the Water Tribes value a ritual known as Ice Dodging, a rite of passage for teenage boys. After the task is successfully completed, customary symbols, such as the Mark of the Brave, Mark of the Wise and Mark of the Trusted, are given. Individual regions within each nation also harbor varied cultural beliefs and customs.

Architecture
Artistic and creative architecture is seen all throughout the World of Avatar. Different nations use different materials to design buildings, such as metal, stone and ice; which shows that the constructions are made of different material types depending on the climate of each nation and locally available equipment, in addition to the inheritance and cultural traditions of each region. Palaces, temples, houses, and small huts are examples of architectural work. Most buildings throughout the Avatar World are very similar to traditional Chinese and Japanese structures.

Fashion
People of the Avatar World wear many different types of clothing and other accessories depending on the nation they hail from and their social status. The clothing ranges from very humble attire worn by the Airbending monks to the elaborate robes worn by the Fire Lord. A notable fact of fashion in general is that each nation will wear the color that symbolizes their native element. The Air Nomads wear oranges and yellows, the Water Tribes wear blue, the people of the Earth Kingdom wear yellows and greens and the people of the Fire Nation wear various hues of red, as well as black and gold. A variety of accessories are adorned by citizens; many people of the Fire Nation wear their hair in a top-knot while members of the Kyoshi Warriors adorn metal headdresses.

Sports and Games
There are a large variety of sports and games in the World of Avatar for the recreation and entertainment of its people. These range from the physically demanding Airbending sports and the excitement and dangers of Ice Dodging to games like Pai Sho, which challenges the mind.

Many games of a given nation incorporate that nation's native bending element into the game. For example, Airbending is utilized for Air Ball and Earthbending for Earth Soccer.

Science and Technology
Science is of limited knowledge to the people in the World of Avatar. The more used, developed and known science is Astronomy. The Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom are the most developed nations in the field of scientific knowledge. It is known and clear in the World of Avatar what science is and what it can or can't prove, especially to people like The Mechanist, War Minister Qin, and Sokka.

Technology varies greatly from nation to nation. The heavily industrialized Fire Nation is far more advanced compared to the other three nations, though the Earth Kingdom, albeit still pre-industrial, was much closer to the Fire Nation's capabilities than the peaceful and technologically unambitious Air Nomads or the Water Tribes were, which as the name suggests, use only primitive technologies in combination with Airbending and Waterbending respectively to achieve their ends.

Spiritual Beliefs
Spiritual Beliefs in the four nations is defined mostly through respecting various nature spirits most of whom abide in the Spirit World. Beliefs differ greatly amongst the Four Nations; however, spirituality is an important role in everyday life. Spirituality is exercised in various ways depending on the nation and culture. For instance, Air Nomads were strict vegetarians, opposing the idea of eating all meat as a way to respect life. Life of the Water Tribe people, specifically those of the Northern Water Tribe, was centered around two major spirits, the Moon and Ocean Spirits. Various shrines and temples are common in the Earth Kingdom, many of which are dedicated to the Avatar. Although the spiritual beliefs of the Fire Nation remain highly unknown, some patrons do respect the spirits such as the Painted Lady.