The Water Tribe
The Water Tribe is considerably isolated from most of the world as it's located in both the North and the South Pole. The nation is made up of a Northern Tribe and a Southern tribe, both found in their respective poles. Due to the geographical distance, the sister tribes themselves are quite disconnected from each other too. As for climate, the Water Tribe experiences winter weather all year-round. The nation has learned to become self-sustaining. Though, because the poles are not suitable for farming, residents in both tribes primarily depend on the ocean's resources for survival. Foods like fish, sea prunes, seaweed, sea crabs, sea squid, and seal are either hunted or gathered by its residents. The Water Tribe also uses skins from seals to build tents and use animal pelts for clothes and for covering surfaces.
Both tribes are governed by a system of chiefdom, and the culture is dominated by tradition. In the Northern tribe, for example, a woman is of marrying age when she turns sixteen. In both tribes, men who wish to marry must present a handmade, traditional bethrothal necklace to their future bride. In the Northen tribe, marriage matches are traditionally arranged by the parents. In contrast, marriage customs in the Southern tribe are more flexible. Overall though, the tribes stick to patriarchal traditions when it comes to culture and customs.
The Water Tribe is inspired off of the real-life Inuit-Yupik culture and its geography is based off of Antarctica.
The Earth Kingdom
The Earth Kingdom is vast, and is considered the largest of all four nations. It spans both a major contient and several islands. Its geography features forests, swamps, a desert, and mountains. The earth kingdom's fertile lands offer its residents access to fresh fruit, nuts, vegetables. The Earth Kingdom farmlands also produce meats like beef and poultry. The Earth Kingdom's main staple crop is rice.
The Earth Kingdom is ruled by a monarchy, either by a king or queen. Besides the monarch, there are also local governments led by kings, governers, prefects, chief magistrates, magistrates, and mayors who help keep the vast Earth Kingdom up and running. As for residents, the majority of the population live in small villages, some in larger towns, and some in larger cities. Notable big cities include Omashu and Ba Sing Se. Based on the region, homes and other buildings can be made of materials like stone, wood, and or plaster. Finally, the Earth Kingdom is known for its diversity. The nation has a long history of migration, and earth kingdom citizens are among the most ethnically diverse.
The Earth Kingdom is inspired off of the real-life Ming, Qing, and Tang dynasties of China and much of the nation's clothing is based either on Chinese, Japanese, or Korean historical fashion.
The Fire Nation
The Fire Nation is located on an archipelago of tropical volcanic islands. It's considered to be the second largest in terms of geographical area right after the Earth Kingdom. Some main resources the land provides its people are things like coal, iron, and other types metals. A Fire Nation diet is mostly noodles, meat, fish, rice, and vegetables. Additionally, many citizens prefer their food to be spicy. As for the population, many citizens live in large urban areas, but some also live smaller villages and towns too.
The nation's economy and military are the strongest in the world. Another point of pride for the Fire Nation is that it's considered to be the most technologically advanced of the four nations. As for leadership, The Fire Nation's government is led by a monarchy, and more specifically the Fire Lord. As for the culture, Fire Nation places a great importance on concepts like respect and honor. If someone senses they've been disrespected in some way, traditionally, an Agni Kai or Firebending duel is set to take place. Sometimes these duels lead to harsh consequences, like terrible burns or even death. Another feature of the Fire Nation is it's long history of gender equality.
Since 0 to 100 AG, the Fire Nation has engaged in a imperialistically driven war. Their role in the conception of the Hundred Year lead to the mass-genocide of the air benders. Since the start, they've also launched attacks on both the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes. Back at home, the war effort has been fueled by ideology and propoganda.
Overall, the Fire Nation is mostly inspired off of real-life China and Japan, and its geography is based off of Iceland.
The Air Nomads
Before the war, The Air Nomads lived in each corner of the world. Each of the four air tempeles were either located atop high mountains or underneath cliffs. Two were run by and for men, while the others were for and run by women. The Air Nomads were considered to be the smallest of the four nations.
The Air Nomads are a monastic order made up of men and women who practice the art of airbending. All Air Nomads have the abilty to airbend due to a high level of spirituality among its people. Their system of government was made up of a council of four elders. Besides the main council, there were also head monks, abbots, and mothers superior. Overall, Air Nomads sought to attain peace, detachement, enlightenment, nonagression, and of course spirituality. Air Nomads also strived to keep in balance and be in harmony with the world around them. Their goal was to preserve the environment around them as much as possible, and because of that, much of their farming and gardening was sustainable and naturally powered. Due to their beliefs, the Air Nomads also had a vegetarian diet that sometimes included eggs and dairy. The culture was generally very open-minded, all forms of love were accepted. A common tradition among the Air Nomads was tattooing. Once an Air Nomand had reached mastery in the skill of air bending, they were presented with their air bender tattoos, light blue arrows reaching all over a person's body. Another tradition is that each Air Nomand got to choose a sky bison, both a companion for life and a mode transportation.
The Air Nomads are inspired off of the real-life Hindu priests and Tibetan monks.