Inner Colonies

The Inner Colonies were the first worlds terraformed and colonized by the Unified Earth Government, relieving the overpopulation pressure on Earth that resulted in the Interplanetary War. Collectively, Earth and the Inner Colonies are known as the core worlds.

History
The Inner Colonies consisted of the 210 planets which were colonized before 2390. In 2490, Reach, which was located near the boundary of the Inner and Outer Colonies, became the UNSC's military center. As the UNSC began settling the Outer Colonies, the Inner Colonies, with their established social and economic infrastructures, became the political and economic basis of the UNSC, supplied with raw materials from the newer settlements.

It is known that there was a war some time before the 26th century called the "Inner Colony Wars". Little is known about this conflict, except the fact that unrestricted news reports during the war caused "massive civil unrest" and threatened to "tear down Earth's culture".

During the Human-Covenant War, numerous ships were pulled from their positions in the Outer Colonies to defend the Inner Colonies. Old ships, such as the Halcyon-class light cruiser, were refitted and brought back into service to supplement the remaining defense forces. At the beginning of the Fall of Reach, dozens of Inner Colony planets were bypassed by the Covenant fleet attacking Reach, and a number of Inner Colonies survived the war.

Known Inner Colonies
Epsilon Eridani system Sol system Ectanus 45 system Unknown system Unknown system
 * Reach - Glassed by the Covenant in 2552, terraformed to be habitable by 2589.
 * Circumstance - Unknown status, likely to have been glassed by the Covenant.
 * Tribute - Glassed by the Covenant in 2552.
 * Beta Gabriel - Unknown status, likely to have been glassed by the Covenant.
 * Tantalus - Unknown status, likely to have been glassed by the Covenant.
 * Earth - Controlled under UNSC.
 * Mars - Unknown status, most likely to have survived.
 * Jovian Moons - Unknown status
 * Pluto - Controlled under UNSC.
 * Chi Rho - Unknown status.
 * Skopje - Glassed by the Covenant in 2547.
 * Actium - Glassed by the Covenant in May 2545.