Earth
The home of humanity. Governed by the United Nations, Earth's 30 billion inhabitants are divided between the haves (who have jobs and money and all that) and the have-nots (who receive basic welfare and subsidies but no jobs and no money). The UN struggles to keep everything in order, and uses every trick in the book to make ends meet. Earth's hunger for wealth and resources is driven by the need to keep and maintain order. 30 billion people, only half of whom are actually employed and the other half is on basic, is a constant and crushing burden. They tend to believe that, as the cradle of humanity, they are entitled to a greater share than anyone else.
Mars
The other inner planet. Mars may have less population, and fewer resources, but they have an absolute edge in technology. The Martians are proud of the world that they have made for themselves, and everything is devoted to their quest to further tame and terraform the planet. They generally regard Earth as a hopeless welfare state.
Ceres Station
The crown jewel of the Belt. The wealth and resources of the Jovian and Saturnine moons and the outer planets flows through Ceres. Six million permanent inhabitants, and another million transients on station at any given time. The "Big Spin", an enormous macro-engineering project managed by Tycho Engineering, provided the planetoid with it's 0.3 G, and also accounts for much of the station's prosperity. (Gravity, even Ceres' Coriolis-ridden 0.3 G, is a major selling point.)
Eros Station
Older, less advanced than Ceres Station, Eros remains an important part of the Belt. Despite benefiting from it's own "Big Spin" and the resulting enhanced gravity, Eros Station lost out to Ceres due to it's age and to the fact that it's potato-like shape makes shipping and docking more difficult. Still, with a population of just over one million, Eros has managed to stake out a place for itself as a center of heavy industry and entertainment. The station is the Belt's version of Las Vegas, Bangkok, and Disneyworld crammed into one rock.
Pallas Station
The smallest of the "Big Spin" asteroids, Pallas is often overlooked by many. Civil unrest and heavy industry are what most people think of in reference to the station.
