Earth

Earth, often referred to as the world, was the third planet in the Sol System. It was a terrestrial planet, being both the densest planet in the system and the largest of the system's four terrestrial planets. Earth was the homeworld of the human species and, as such, was the seat of power for major human governments including the Three World Empire, the Union of Progressive Peoples, and the United Americas. Earth was orbited by one moon, Luna, which was the first astronomical body beyond Earth to be colonized by humans. Over 7.3 billion humans live on Earth and depend on its biosphere and minerals for their survival. Earth's human population is divided among about two hundred sovereign states which interact through diplomacy, conflict, travel, trade, communication, and media. By the early 22nd century, Antarctica hosted a major air traffic control station for departing and returning interstellar commercial vessels. One of their clients included Weyland-Yutani for the purpose of guiding mineral ore bulk freighters from distant worlds to the Earth. The station's radio signals had a limited range away from the Earth and could not be heard outside of the Solar System. During the year 2381, most of the people who lived on Earth were mostly made up of disenfranchised and unemployed people, as most of the meaningful work now took place in space and the colonies.

Geography

As the homeworld of the Human species, Earth is the archetype by which they measure all other planets in terms of habitability. The ultimate goal of all terraforming efforts across the galaxy is to create an environment similar to that of Earth on any planet the humans attempt to colonize. Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old. It possesses an iron core that is solid at its center with a liquid layer encompassing it. This generates a powerful magnetosphere that has kept Earth from losing its water and other volatile organic compounds. The core is surrounded by semifluid magma, on which the solid, yet light crust floats. The planet is geologically active, with plate tectonics causing volcanoes and natural springs to dot its surface. Earthquakes are common. The planet lies in the liquid water zone of Sol, and water is found in abundance-oceans cover 70% of the planet. The 30% of the surface that is dry land is divided amongst four major landmasses, which are subsequently divided into seven continents (from largest in area to smallest: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australasia), along with thousands of islands spread across the oceans. There is a thin atmosphere that is maintained by the biomass on the planet's surface. It is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, with the remainder a mix of trace gases including argon, carbon dioxide and water vapor. Earth spins on its axis once every 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds. The axis is tilted 23° from its orbital plane, which causes seasonal changes in its higher latitudes as it orbits Sol. Earth held an abundance of natural resources well into the 22nd century, such as minerals and several substances produced as by-products by the planet's biomass, such as petroleum, coal, wood, and natural gas. Humans utilized these resources into an impressive technology base. However, over time the resources of Earth began to become exhausted, prompting Humans to search for other worlds which could be exploited.

Climate

The geological activity of Earth has created a wide variety of terrain across its surface. Plate tectonics and erosion (by both the atmosphere and water) dominate the formation processes of surface features. There are mountain ranges, valleys, plains, mesas, and canyons, which in turn may be found in deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and icecaps at the poles. Earth may be classified into three general climate zones: the tropics, which straddle each side of the Equator, the polar regions located around the North and South Poles, and the temperate zones in-between. Each of these are divided into other zones which vary depending on the distance from the Equator, proximity to large bodies of water, and local geography, such as mountains. Humans began to modify the terrain of Earth when they discovered agriculture around 8000 BCE. This enabled the development of great cities linked by trade routes stretching for thousands of miles over both land and ocean. Beginning in the 19th century, Humans began to alter the planetary climate with the introduction of industrial by-products. As early as the second-half of the 21st Century Earth's environment began to significantly degrade, but remained habitable well into the 22nd Century. By the 24th century, much of Earth had become an arid wasteland. But over time, by the time of Alien Resurrection, It seems that there have been efforts to restore the Earth's ecology in some areas.

Alternative Name(s)

The World

Type

Planet

Included Organizations