Our Environment

(
n the previous class, you have
of the solar system. It is studied about our earth as the
called so because of the unique planet
all live on the earth.
Here, we find everything thatpresence
of life on it. Vve
we need to live
water, air, land, fod, etc. But, where we such as
around These include teachers, peons,
us. live, a number of other things
exist
bus, books, bench, pen, classmates, trees, grass, wall, SCnoo
pencil, etc.
If you observe these
things, you will
find that Some are alive while others are
lifeless. Also, some are naturally available
i.e., they
nature's gift while others
are
are the outcome of the skill and
efforts
of humans. Whether these are natural
or man-made, we need them in our
day-to-day lives. Classroom
These things that surround together form our environment. Thus,
us
environment is basic life support system. This is because, it
our
provides
the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land where we live and the food
we eat.

MEANING OF ENVIRONMENT
The term"environment"is derived
from a French word 'environer',
meaning 'Surroundings'. In simple
terms, whatever we see in ouI
Surroundings is collectively called
environment. That is, the place,
PEOple, things and nature that
SuTound any living organism is called
environment. These surroundings
can be divided into
two categories
natural and man-made. These are
dIso known as the components of the
environment.
Environment

205
 COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENT
Our environment consists of two main components-natural and man-made.

Air (Atmosphere)
Land (Lithosphere)

Water (Hydrosphere)
Living organisms (Biosphere) Natural

cOMPONENTS OF OUR ENVIRONMENT

Buildings Man-made Monuments

Park
Road

Industry Bridge

Components of the Environment

NATURAL (PHYSICAL) ENVIRONMENT organisms. For example, human beings, plants,

All those that are naturally existing
things animals, insects, etc.
around us are together called natural environment. Abiotic Environment
These things are the free gifts of nature. For
This refers to the world of non-living elements
example, plants, animals, land,
alr, Wate, C For
Natural environment is further divided into biotic example, land, air, water, etc.
and abiotic environment. The land on
which we live is not man-made
thing. It has been created through a natural
Biotic Environment process similarly, air, water, natural vegetation
This environment includes the world of living etc. also occur naturally. Here, the land refers to
the lithosphere, while air and water indicate
SOCIAL SCIENCE -GIOGRARHY:: 7 206
 .The lithosphere is also known as the home
Atmosphere
(air) of different plants and animals.
It is a source of various mineral resources
Such as coal, aluminium, manganese, lead,
zinc, oil, etc.
Biosphere
Tt provides land for growing crops and
human settlements.

Hydrosphere Lithosphere
(land) Atmosphere
(water)
The thin layer of air that surrounds the earth is
Spheres of the Earth
known asthe atmosphere.
stmosphere and hydrosphere respectively. I t reaches upto a height of 1,600 km from
The
plants and nimals are the major parts of the earth surface.
biosphere. Let us recapitulate all
these The atmosphere is held around the earth by
four domains of the earth to understand our
its gravitational force.
environment well.
I t consists of various gases, such as oxygen,
Major Domains of the Earth nitrogen,carbon dioxide, neon, ozone, etc.
as well as dust and water vapours.
Lithosphere The atmosphere acts as a thick blanket
I t is the solid crust or the hard top layer of which protects us from harmful ultraviolet
the earth. rays of the Sun.
.
Lithosphere has many ups and downs. It The changes in the atmosphere bringg
consists of different types of landscapes changes in the weather and climate.
such as mountains, plateaus, hills, valleys, Air provides us all the weather related
etc. phenomena such as wind, rain, etc.
.These landscapes are found over the .The atmosphere acts as a big air conditioner
continents and ocean floors. moderating the extremes of heat and cold.
I t also contains life giving gases like oxygen
.The lithosphere is made up of various rocks
and carbon dioxide.
and minerals.
Hydrosphere
The domain of water is referred to as
hydrosphere. Oceans, seas, lakes and rivers
collectively forn. the hydrosphere. It is essential
for human beings, plants and animals. Without
water, life is not possible. About 71% of the earth's
surface is covered with water.
I t provides us great
Lithosphere
minerals.
variety of sea foods and
Lithosphere .It provides a natural link between the
The lithosphere is covered with a thin layer continents.
of soil. .Oceans are the main
component of the
The soil helps to grow different types
of hydrosphere. The elevation of
any landform
food not is measured by the
plants and shrubs, which provides animals .It is also
ocean floor.
only to human beings
but to the used as a means of
transport by the
also. people.
207
OUR ENVIRONMENT
 of food and raw materials. All the
animals and human beings depend on the lants,
Do Vou Kpow? This interrelation
neir
surroundings. ween
Environmental Hazards human beings and their surroundings om
A risk or a danger, existing or perceived, is an ecosystem.
termed as a hazard. Natural hazards such as
earthquakes, landslidings, volcanos, floods, ECOSYSTEM
droughts, cyclones, tsunamis, lightenings and An ecosystem is a system formed by the
other such interaction of all living organisms with each other
happenings and with their environment through transfer of
are a part energy and material.
of earth's
In other words, it refers to a community of
environment.
plants and animals within a particular physical
They take
environment which is linked by a flowof
place materials through the non-living as well as the
because of
living sections of the system. Al plants, animals
the interplay Disaster situation caused by
of many earthquake and human beings depend on their immediate
natural processes operating on the surface surroundings. They are interdependent on each
or in the interior ot the earth. For other also. That is, the relation among the living
example, organisms as well as the relation between the
hot molten rock material called magma
rising trom the interior of the earth is a part organisms and their surroundings form an
of the process of rock formation. But, at the ecosystem.
same time, it also causes earthquakes and That is why, Kerala with heavy downpour
volcanoes. The earthquakes and volcanoes has lush green fields and coconut plantations,
cause great harm both to the living and elephants and other animals. Whereas in
non-living things. Rajasthan, it doesn't rain much. There is Kikar
Do you think that human actions are also and sand everywhere. Also, it has camels, snakes,
responsible tor these occurrences? lt so, how? lizards, etc. In this way, we find that the animals,
the vegetation and the way people live
vary from
place to place. This shows that they are related to
Biosphere each other.
It means the living world. It contains all forms
of life such as plants, animals, human beings, etc.
Biosphere is a narrow zone of the earth where Moisture
Solar Radiation
land, water and air interact with each other to
support life. Habitat

I t is a significant part of the earth. Disturbances

I t is the part of the earth that is occupied by Plant
living organisms. Community
.It extends from less than 11 km below sea
level to the tropopause.
Nutrients
I t provides us with favourable conditions for Minerals
life. Soll organisms
Both the biotic and abiotic environment
are interdependent and provide a
variety Ecosystem
SOCIAL SCIENCE -GEOCRAPHY: 7 208
 that
plants and animals depend
well
We know MAN-MADE (HUMAN) ENVIRONMENT
other. nimals depend on plants for their
each

nd, Also, plants provide oxygen to animals to

on
This includes changes and modifications of
athe in.These keeP the environment clean and the natural environment made
breat
by human beings.
uide shelter to animals. On the other hand, lt shows the activities, creations and interactions
Pnals provide carbon dioxide which plants use among human beings. We find that
cmaking their food. Similarly, dead and decaying
not everything
around us is the gift of nature, But many
nimals provide nutrients for plants to grow. things
such as buildings, roads, bridges, parks, industries,
.Huge rainforests, grasslands, deserts, hills, furniture, books, etc. are human creations. These
mountains, oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, etc. are the components or examples of human
can form an ecosystem. made environment. Humans have created
. An ecosystem can be permanent or these components by modifying the natural
temporary. environment. They create such things by using
An ecosystem can be natural or artificial. their skills to satisfy their needs.
A natural ecosystem is created by nature HUMAN BEINGS AND ENVIRONMENT
itself, while artificial ecosystem is created by Human beings modify natural environment
human beings.
to satisfy their needs. For example, they make cars,
.Rainforests, deserts, ponds, rivers, etc. mills, factories and manufacture many products.
are the examples of natural
ecosystem. In this way, our environment is changing at an
Aquarium is an example of an artificial
increasing rate. Early humans adapted themselves
ecosystem. to their natural surroundings. They led a very

simple life and fulfilled their needs from natural

surroundings. With the passage of time needs
started to
grew and became more varied. People
live a settled life, barter system emerged, trade and
commerce developed, and the industrial revolution
came into existence. So, people began to exploit
natural resources an alarming rate. Environmental
degradation has occurred mainly in the last few
decades due to rapid economic development.
Now, it is globally recognised that certain human
activities like burning of fossil fuels e,g, petroleum,
gas and coal in motor vehicles and industries have
Aquarium
resulted in raising the mean temperature of the
earth. This is known as Global Warming. This is
?
(LDo You KpoW only one example of disturbance in the balance
5th June is
considered as the world state of our environment. While a perfect balance
It is the day that stimulates between the natural and human environment
environment day.
of the environment and enhances is necessary. Humans should be aware of their
awareness

political attention and public action to it. The duty to maintain the environmental stability and
environment day was celebrated on balance. They must learn to live and use their
first world
It is celebrated every year with
5th June, 1973. environment in a judicious way.
a different theme.

209 - OUR ENVIRONMENT

 IMPORTANT WORDs
Hydrosphere: The water domains of the earii
and art h
Environment: The place, people, things surface is known as the hydrosphere.
nature that surround any living organism is called
environment. Biosphere : It is a narrow zone ot the earth where
land, water and air interact with each other t
Natural Environment: It can be defined as
support life.
prevailing natural conditions such as land, air,
water, natural vegetation, wildlife, etc. Ecosystem: It is a system formed by the interaction
of all living organisms with each other and with
Lithosphere: The solid crust or hard top layer of their environment.
the earth surface.
Atmosphere: The thin layer of air that surrounds
the earth, is known as the atmosphere.

IMPORTANT POINTS
About 71% of the earth's surtace is covered with
Whatever we see in our surroundings is collectively
known as our environment. water
Our environment can be natural or man-made. .Water, air and landforms are abiotic while plants,
animals and human beings torm the biotic
Lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere are the
main components of the environment. environment.

The atmosphere is hold around the earth by its An aquarium is an example of artificial ecosystem.
gravitational force. Rising temperature of the earth is termed as'global
The atmosphere protects us from harmful ultraviolet warmin8
rays of the sun.

EXERCISES
L. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Choose the correct option from the following:
1. Environer is a _ word
(a) Hindi (b) Greek (c) French (a) English
2. Which of the following is included in the natural environment?
(a) Air (b) Land () Water (d) All of these
3. Lithos refers to
(a) water (b) rocks (c) moisture (d) gases
4. Which of the following forces hold the atmosphere around the earth ?
a) Gravitational force (6) Neutron force (c) Coriolis force (d) None of these
5. The elevation of any landform is measured by the .
(a) plains (b) plateaus (c) ocean tloor (d) none of these

sOCIAL SCIENCE-CEOGRAPY:: 7 210

 alh
which
ofthe
of following,
the followin z0nes the land, air and water meet to support life ?
oTs
6. In (6) Biosphere
(a) H y d r o s p h e r e
C) Atmosphere (d) Lithosphere
7. Which one of the following systems is an artificial ecosystem?
(a) Aquarium (6) Rainforest )Ponds (d) Deserts

8.
oneof
which one
Which of the
t following factors is a threat to
environment? OTs
(a) Growing industries (b) Growing crops (d) None of these
) Growing population
Short Answer Type Questions
IL.Very
1. rite down the omponents of the human environment.
an ecosystem.
2. Define
3. Which are the two major componens of the biotic and abiotic environment? 0 s
4. What do you know about the termbiosphere'?

It. Short Answer Type Questions

1. Differentiate between the natural and the man-made environment. orS
2. Define the term'atnmosphere', Write down the usefulness of the atmosphere.
3. What do you know about the human environment?
4. Man modifies his environment'. Give reasons to support this statement. O5

IV. Long Answer Type Questions

1. Why are the plants and animals interdependent on each other ? 0T5
2. What do you know about the term ecosystem? How is it useful for human beings?
3. Human activities are adversely affecting our environment.Why and how? HOTS

V. Match the following.

Column B
Column A
(a) Artificial ecosystem
1. Global warming
2. Rainforests (b) Rising temperature
(C) Natural environment
3. Aquarium
(d) Abiotic environment
4. Human
e) Biotic environment
5. Land

MORE TOEXPLORE

Project Work
and out tne impact ot men on the environment. Also, make a list of the
Evamine vour local surrounaings ust
in your area. NOW, make a chart showing these aspects.
environmental problems

Web Link
information log on to the following link
Formore
. h t t p : / / e n . w i k i p e d i a . o r g

211 OUR ENVIRONMENT