The United Federation of Planets (abbreviated U.F.P.) was founded in 2161 by the governments of the five planets Earth, Vulcan, Tellar, Andor and Alpha Centauri. They joined forces to live together in peace, to mutually explore space, and, if necessary to defend themselves against aggressors.

Today, the Federation includes more than 150 member planets and many colonies. They are governed by the Federation Council (see picture) which is composed of representatives from the Federation member worlds meeting in San Francisco, North America (Earth). The leader of the Council is the Federation Council President (or: President of the United Federation of Planets), whose office is located in Paris, European Alliance (Earth). At the moment, it is Jaresh-Inyo.

The Constitution of the U.F.P. (framed in 2161) assures each Federation citizen inalienable human rights. The Seventh Guarantee which protects citizens against self-incrimination is also laid down in the constitution. The "Uniform Code of Justice", which governs the administration of justice, also contains basic rights of the Federation. The court of first instance is the Supreme Court of the United Federation of Planets.

After the Federation had been founded, a common calendar became necessary as every member planet used its own system. This led to the introduction of "Stardates". The system has been changed several times since the 22nd century, and today, Stardates give the time as fractions of one (Terran) year, while Stardate 00000.0 would correspond to January 01, 2323, 00:00 UTC.

Within the Federation, practically no money is used. Social security is guaranteed to every citizen. However, there is the Federation Credit, a currency used mainly for trade with non-Federation worlds.

Starfleet (founded in 2161) is the Federation agency responsible for defense and space exploration. Starfleet Command is located at the Federation Department of Defense in San Francisco, Earth.