Pao has three large continents; the two smaller of which are north of the equator, and the largest of which is mostly below the equator. Each continent has suffered its share of magical disasters, though these events are furthest in the past in both the New and Old Worlds, which have largely recovered and become safely habitable.
The most recent of these large-scale magical disasters is known as The Collapse. It occurred on the Southern Continent, which is legally referred to in all government documents as named after the ruling Roaman monarch. It has most recently been called Rebeccaland, and is now known as Jacquiland.
Pao is covered extensively in the first book, so download the PDF and learn more for yourself!