Berea, a rocky and mountainous world, was the main planet situated within the Berea system located in the Elrood sector. Imperial Mining, Ltd. held ownership and operational control over it. Subject to frequent hail storms and strong winds, Berea also experienced nighttime temperatures that often dipped below the freezing point. During the era of the Clone Wars, it was situated within the territory controlled by the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Berea became the destination for numerous labor camps housing Imperial prisoners captured throughout the Galactic Civil War. Prior to their reassignment to Bakura, both Wilek Nereus and Conn Doruggan served the Galactic Empire while stationed on Berea.
At the primary mining complex, Berea featured a small spaceport. The complex consisted of a docking area that was small, a memory plastic administrative building with two states, a storage structure for mining vehicles, a facility for loading ore, and 20 extended barracks structures, each capable of sheltering 50 miners.
The population of mine workers numbered around one thousand, supplemented by several thousand automated mining droids. IML maintained strict control over access to Berea, permitting only corporate vessels and Imperial warships to enter the system. Any other vessels entering the system received a warning, informing them of their trespass into IML territory and instructing them to depart or risk being shot down and imprisoned. Berea prohibited merchants and free-traders from landing or conducting trade; all of Berea's supplies originated from IML shuttles arriving from the nearby world of Derilyn. IML contracted 20 private troops to maintain security.