Earth
The original homeworld of Humanity, and still the home of the great majority of all humans alive, Earth retains a privileged position in human affairs. With offworld colonies having been possible for only 70 years, most humans still have not seen space or ventured through All-Crossing, though the opportunity is there. Connected to the rest of Human Space by the space elevator in Borneo, the first such structure built by Humanity and still the largest one, most of Earth's nations are still concerned primarily with affairs on the planet itself.
The planet has gone through many calamities in the latter half of the 21st century, with mass flooding, crop failure, and other extreme weather events and climatic shifts having made many major settlements on earth unviable, triggering massive refugee waves. To this day Earth struggles with the legacy of industrial pollution and global average temperatures are higher than they were 200 years ago, though they are no longer increasing.
Nevertheless, living standards for most people have never been higher, even though the gap between the Global North and the Global South never really closed. Advances in automation and medical technology have resulted in most people living much longer, more carefree lives, though Earth governments have especially in the eyes of colonial citizens become very paternalistic and undemocratic. Many Earth governments have struggled with their economies becoming increasingly decoupled from human labor, and many have adopted heavy redistributative regimes to cope.
Earth remains a cultural powerhouse, and offworld colonies are often dominated by an offshoot of a particular Earth culture. For example, Phenix E was settled primarily by Bengalis and North Africans, and carry on their cultural traditions. With its enormous population, Earth arts and trends are highly influential in Human Space, and are constantly being introduced to the other colonies by visitors from Earth. More people migrate from Earth than to it, as most Earth nations have fairly restrictive citizenship policies compared to colonial administrations, and the colonies are generally considered to be more vibrant and to have more opportunity. For all their history, wealth, and sheer mass of population, the nations of Earth are seen as the sick, old men of Human Space, while the colonies chart forth the boundaries of human advancement.
The most populated planet in Human Space, Earth has a permanent population of around 10 billion. Politically, the planet remains fragmented even though almost all local governments are members of the UNE. With its 24 hour day, surface gravity of 1G, and human-breathable atmosphere, Earth is considered uncomplicated to visit. Refer to local travel advisories regarding different states and settlements on Earth, though most are considered safe to travel to.
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