$W{ JANUS
From the Encyclopedia Galactica (Ising University of Antares ed., January 2399) $}

CAPITAL: Vela City
GOVERNMENT TYPE: Presidential
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT (2399): Governor Shounak Bagchi
POPULATION: 2,233,935,801 (2392 Census)
ORBITAL DISTANCE: ~1.1 AU (0.07 eccentricity)
SATELLITES: 2 (Juturna, Venilia)
AVERAGE SURFACE TEMPERATURE: 23 C
SURFACE GRAVITY: 1.1G
ATMOSPHERE: Breathable
LANGUAGES: English (official), Hindi-Urdu, Hokkien Chinese
SETTLED: 2317-12-3

Beta Aquilae II, also known as Janus, is a planet of critical importance to the GTVA. 

Janus's primary strategic value stems from its vast mineral wealth.  The planet possesses large deposits of rare earth elements essential for the production of most electronics.  In fact, the original purpose of the earliest Janus colonies was to exploit these resources.  Over time, as the colonies grew and production expanded, Janus and its mineral wealth became the beating heart of the extrasolar Terran economy, second only to Sol itself.  With the collapse of the Sol jump node, Beta Aquilae II remained the most populated and prosperous world in Terran space and began to gain critical importance as the new pillar of Pan-Terran politics. 

When the Beta Aquilae Convention dissolved the Terran regional blocs in 2358, the GTVA, recognizing the symbolic, cultural, and economic importance of the planet, chose Janus as the de-facto capital world of Terran space.

Janus's climate is warmer than Earth's, but with similar gravity and a breathable atmosphere, little technological intervention is needed to facilitate human habitation on its surface.  Much key infrastructure is situated underground and is thermally isolated, however, due to outside air temperatures frequently exceeding 50 degrees Celsius at the equator. 

Complex life on the planet is in decline, but remnants of large creatures dating back to ancient times have been extensively studied by paleontologists.  The planet is criss-crossed with a high-speed rail network integrating the major cities and rare earth element production centers.