Source: VII NCERT Geography Chapter 1
ENVIRONMENT:
- The word Environment is derived from French word Environer which means neighbourhood.
- The place, people, things and nature that surround any living organism is called environment.
- Environment is our basic life support system.
- It provides the air we breath, the water we drink, the food we eat and the land where we live.
- It is a combination of natural and human made phenomena.
- Biotic is the world of living organisms. e.g. plants and animals.
- Abiotic is the world of non living elements. eg - land
LITHOSPHERE:
- Lithosphere is the solid crust or the hard top layer of the earth.
- It is made up of rocks and minerals and covered by a thin layer of soil.
- It is an irregular surface with various landforms such as mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys, etc.
- Landforms are found over the continents and also on the ocean floors.
- Lithosphere is the domain that provides us forests, grasslands for grazing, land for agriculture and human settlements.
- It is also a source of mineral wealth
- The domain of water is referred to as hydrosphere.
- It comprises various sources of water and different types of water bodies like rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, etc.
- The atmosphere is the thin layer of air that surrounds the earth.
- The gravitational force of the earth holds the atmosphere around it.
- It protects us from the harmful rays and scorching heat of the sun.
- It consists of a number of gases, dust and water vapour.
- The changes in the atmosphere produce changes in the weather and climate.
BIOSPHERE:
- Plant and animal kingdom together make biosphere or the living world.
- It is a narrow zone of the earth where land, water and air interact with each other to support life.
Ecosystem: It is a system formed by the interaction of all living organisms with each other and with the physical and chemical factors of the environment in which they live, all linked by transfer of energy and material.
On 5 June every year the World Environment Day is celebrated.