EVN Survival Guide: Map: Federation

You start off the game (unless you're using a chär-modifying plugin) in Federation space, so this makes sense as a place to start, no? Since Fed space is where you start, it has the highest number of missions that start there (although a few can start almost anywhere). You can check out the map here.

Dangers:	Mission Threads That Start Here:
Pirates roam a few places, but in systems that border the Auroran Empire you run the risk of getting caught in a crossfire between Fed and Auroran ships.	Federation, Rebellion, Vell-os, Auroran, Wild Geese, Pirate, Bounty Hunter, Sigma Shipyards, United Shipping, Gli-Tech, Terraforming, Exploration Probe, Cunjo Hunt, Temmin Shard
Noteworthy Planets/Systems:
Earth in the Sol system. It's Earth. The Bounty Hunter and Sigma Shipyard missions complete there, and many other mission strings revolve around the home of humanity. Viking in the Tichel system. Viking is where the Pirate mission string begins. It's also where you can get Pirate ships, as well as some cool outfits for your ship. Gli-Tech-Nia in the Rimshot system. Another great weapons planet, this is also where, oddly enough, the Gli-Tech missions start. Rauther in the Rautheron system. You want some "alternate" upgrades for your ship? This is the place to go. From Hellhounds to vectored thrust, you'll probably find what you want here. Sirrusa in the Archenar system. While the past few systems have been where you can go to buy stuff, this is the place you should go if you got stuck with a crappy deal. They're willing to buy absolutely anything that you have on your ship, no matter what.