Earth

Earth's geography is often referred to as 'the most balanced' of inhabited worlds. With relatively moderate climates that are overall survivable across most of the planet's surface. However, extreme climates and conditions can be found all over it. Temperatures as cold as 183 K (-128 F or -89 C) to as hot as 329 K (134 F or 56 C) depending on time, place, season, or climate cycle. Roughly 71% of the Earth's surface is water with 95% of said water being salty, mostly found in the world's oceans and seas. The North and South poles are nearly always perpetually cold and icy, while the equatorial zone is hot and tropical. The total population of the planet as of 3500 AD is roughly around 20,000,000,000 with about over two hundred independent nations spread across the land and seas. The population had historically been slowly rising, however, during the lead-up to space exploration and the centuries that followed, the number of people skyrocketed before plateauing again. Although some of the most advanced societies exist on Earth, ancient lifestyles and traditions still hold sway in some places. In addition, many of the most important Earth cities are extremely old and would be considered far less advanced compared to other planets. In some of the less advanced countries, ground roads and vehicles are still used as the primary method of transportation. Earth also has one of the largest collections of spaceports in the galaxy, only rivaled by Jupiter and Ceres. This is largely due to Earth being the historical center of interstellar travel for hundreds of years, although Jupiter and Ceres have been major rivals in this regard, Earth still retains a high place for trade and travel.

Earth's ecosystem is by far the most diverse in the Galaxy. This is, however, unsurprising since the parent absence of natural extraterrestrial life, means that all known life in the Galaxy ultimately descends from Earth. However, even factoring in evolution accelerating technology, Earth's natural makeup is extremely varied. A whole host of different biological kingdoms, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species spread across every part of the world. Many creatures can only be found on Earth and despite over two millennia of research, new species are still being found. Even more so due to undocumented instances of evolution acceleration, leading to wholly new creatures into the biosphere of the planet. However, it is noteworthy that in terms of Earth's long history, biodiversity is actually quite low. According to researchers, many animals have gone extinct both well before Humanity and well after. Though many have been revived such as the dinosaurs, most of these rarely are reintroduced into the natural ecosystem. This is due to the potential disasters that would likely accrue from these creatures effectively becoming invasive species.

Earth's resources are relatively abundant for its size, with a good mix of biochemical and mineral resources. The cyclical nature of Earth's natural processes allows it to retain sustainable conditions for both humans and wildlife. However, compared to other interstellar bodies and specific resources, it is rather lacking. Astoriod harvesting as well as mining operations of other worlds normally produce a much greater output of material than Earth markets. Some elements are only easily found on Earth, however, most can be more readily available elsewhere. It is because of this, that most economic activity on Earth is not reliant on exports of raw materials, and is usually more specialized for refinement, technological development, manufacturing, accounting, and other industries.

Earth's history regarding humanity goes back far before we have records. As the homeland of humanity, the species evolved from its natural life. Mankind's story began to take shape with the development of agriculture some 8,000 years ago. Civilizations grew from key areas on the planet and grew and developed over time. Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China were some of the first to come to prominence in the Bronze Age. Later the ancient Greeks and Romans would forge the basis of the Western civilization that would come to dominate and unify the world centuries later. Rome managed to unite the whole Western world for hundreds of years before its fall in the 5th Century. After that, Europe, China, and the Middle East developed further largely separately, while Africa, the Americas, and Australia remained largely isolated. In the Age of Discovery following the medieval period, contact between civilizations became common, and the West grew an immense amount of power and influence. Shortly thereafter, the Industrial Revolution occurred, which transformed the entire planet forever. World powers grew out of this environment, first the British Empire, then the Americans. Massive political, religious, scientific, economic, and cultural changes rocked the world with two World Wars and rapid technological development. After the Second World War, a period known as the Long Peace set in, although was threatened multiple times over the next two hundred years. American dominance sustained the world for years until it was challenged by the forces of a united Europe, Russia, and China. The tension between these four superpowers exploded into the Third World War, more commonly called the Sol War, as it was the first major conflict where space warfare was used. This ended in the collapse of the major powers for a century and allowed for many non-earth base nations to rise in prominence, greatly diminishing Earth's influence in the Galaxy. Various wars and changes had occurred within the planet, however, the overall effect was that Earth could no longer be the sole power of the Galaxy, as well as the disunity of human cultures and international organizations. Although technologies such as Rosen Bridges kept up communications, the simple fact was that planetary conditions made it impossible for the long-hoped-for Galactic Community of Mankind to realistically exist. Earth wanted to keep humanity together, but that was no longer possible outside of Earth. And even then, the constant conflict between thousands of years of political disputes on the planet made even Earth's unity impossible.

The most popular tourist destinations on Earth are largely either exploration of ancient wonders, or natural life on the planet. Many across the galaxy come to explore some of the oldest cities on the planet such as New York, Moscow, Berlin, Washington, and Los Angeles. Admiring the old cultural relics of American, Russian, European, and several other cultures. Some even take trips into even older cities that predate the industrial and medieval periods like Rome or Athens. Wildlife tours are also common for both natives of Earth and people from other planets. Nature reserves dot much of the planet, where creatures that have existed for millions of years can be seen as they are. Some countries even use this as a major source of economic revenue, usually in the less developed nations.