The Legend of Korra is set in the fictional world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The world is separated into four nations: the (Northern and Southern) Water Tribes, the Air Nomads, the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. The focus of the series is "bending," the ability of some humans (and animals) to telekinetically manipulate the element associated with their nation (water, earth, fire or air). Bending is carried out using spiritual and physical exercises, which are portrayed in the series as similar to Chinese and other Asian martial arts.