1.

Earth in the Solar System

What do you see in the Sky?

Stars Planets
Objects that are twinkling or flickering. Eg.,
Objects that are glowing but not twinkling/ flickering.
Sun
Dont have their own heat and light. Instead they are lit
Stars emit a large amount of heat and light
by the light of stars.
Constellations like Ursa Major or Big Bear, 8 Planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Saptarshi or Small Bear Uranus, Neptune
North Star or Pole Star The Moon and other satellites
Pointer Stars Asteroids and Meteoroids
Planets are called 'Wanderers' because they revolve
Stars are big heavenly bodies
around the sun in fixed orbit.
There are many stars which we cannot see with
Planets can be seen with the help of the telescope.
our naked eyes
The Solar System
The Sun, 8 Planets, Satellites and some other celestial bodies known as asteroids and meteoroids make the
Solar System. Its a solar family with the Sun as its head.

Important Terms and Explanations

Celestial
The sun, the moon, and all those objects shining in the sky
Bodies
Sol Sun God in Roman mythology
A huge group of stars forming various patterns in the sky. E.g., Ursa Major,
Constellation
Saptarshi
Big and hot, made up of gases. Have their own heat and light, emitting them in huge
Stars
amounts. E.g., Sun
 Stars are formed from the clouds of gas and dust in space, called nebula and have
Nebula
their own heat and light.
Also called the North Star. Can be used to determine directions. Always remain in
Pole Star the same position in the sky. Can be located using Saptarshi. Facing North, one can
see it through an imaginary line joining the two pointer stars and extended further.
The Centre of the Solar system. Made up of extremely hot
Sun gases. Provides the pulling force that binds the solar
system. The ultimate source of heat and light for the
Satellites solar asystem.
A celestial body that moves around particularAbout 150inMillion
planet, the same Kmway away fromplanets
as the the
move around the sun. Earth.
Man-made An artificial body designed by scientists to gather information about the universe or for
Distance : Light of the Sun takes about 8 min. to
Satellites communication. Carried by a rocket and placed in the orbit around the earth. Some
reach the earth. (Lights Speed = 300,000 km/s)
Indian Satellites in Space are INSAT, IRS, EDUSAT.
Inner Planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
Planets Do They are very
not have their Close to the
own heat andSun.
light.Made up of
Instead litrocks.
by the
or Lesser light of the stars. The term derived from the Greek Word
Planets Planetai meaning Wanderers.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They are very far from the Sun and huge planets.
Outer Planets 8 liquids. In ordertwoof types
their distance from
Made up of gases and These of Planets are the Sun: 1)by
separated Mercury 2)
the asteroid
or Gas Giants Planets Venus 3) Earth 4) Mars 5) Jupiter 6) Saturn 7) Uranus 8)
belts.
Neptune.
Closest to the Sun and the smallest planet. Takes only about 88 days to complete one
Mercury
revolution along its orbit.
Also known as the Earths Twin,(To Morning
easily remember:
star andMy Very Efficient
Evening Star. It Mother
is similarJust
in
Venus Served Us Nuts
size, mass, density and volume with earth but it has no oceans and is surrounded by a
heavy atmosphere composed
Orbits mainly of carbonpaths
The elongated dioxide and the
around waterSunvapour.
in which all the eight
rd th
3 nearest planet to the Sun andplanets
the densest. 5 in size slightly flattened at the poles,
move respectively.
hence its size is described as Geoid meaning an earth-like shape.
A Unique Planet: Because it has life-supporting water and air, which is probably
Earth only planet.
A Blue Planet : Its two-thirds surface is covered by water.
One orbit around Sun = 365 days. One spin on its axis = 1 day.
No. of Moons = 1
Only satellite of the earth. Also called Earths companion. Diameter = only one quarter
that of the earth. 3,84,400 km away from us. Neil Armstrong the first man to step on
the Surface on 29, July, 1969.
Moon Only one side of the moon visible always: Because The moon moves around
the earth in about 27 days. It takes exactly the same time to complete the spin.
Surface: It has mountains, planes and depressions on it, which cast shadows on
the surface.
Also called Red Planet. Its atmosphere is made up of carbon dioxide with small
Mars
amounts of other gases.
Largest planet in the Solar system surrounded by an atmosphere composed of Hydrogen
Jupiter
and Helium.
Second largest and the most beautiful, owing to the rings around it. The only planet
Saturn
which is less dense than water. Has the highest number of moons.
A numerous tiny bodies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, which also move around
Asteroids
the Sun. About 40,000 known asteroids are there. Ceres is the largest.
Meteoroids Small pieces of rocks which move around the Sun. Sometimes come near the earth and
tend to drop upon it, creating hallows, or due to friction with the air, get heated up and
 burnt halfway.
Aug, 2006 considered to be a dwarf planet, like Ceres, 2003 and UB313 by the
Pluto
International Astronomical Union.
Galaxy A huge system of billions of stars and clouds of dust and gases. Our solar system is a
part of Milkyway galaxy. In ancient India, it was imagined to be a river of light flowing
in the sky. Thus, it was named Akash Ganga.
Universe Millions of such galaxies make the universe.
Rings The Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus have rings around them. These are belts of small debris.
Protection The Earths magnetic field and the atmosphere protects us from the harmful radiation of
from the the sun and other stars. The Earths atmosphere also protects us from meteors, most of
radiation. which burn up before they strike the surface.
Tilted Axis The Earths axis is tilted by 23.5 degree, because of which we have the seasons like
Summer, Winter, Autumn and the Spring.
Revolution The Earth revolves around the sun at a speed of 30 km/s.
Speed
Earths Ranges from 127 degree F. to 236 degree F.
Temperature
Water in 3 Earth is the only planet which has water in all its 3 states solid, liquid and gas.
States
The Sun Fuelled by nuclear fusion reaction. It can fit 1.3 million earths inside its sphere. Its
been burning for more than 4.5 billion years. It is the gravitational force of the sun that
keeps all the planets in their orbit.
Where are we in the Universe?

Chapter 2. Globe: Latitudes and Longitudes

Globe: A true model of the Earth or the miniature form of the Earth. On it, countries, continents and oceans
are shown in their correct size. A globe is a three-dimensional representation of the Earth.
Axis: Two points on the globe through which an imaginary line passes are two poles: North Pole and South
Pole. The line is the Axis.
Anti-Clock wise Rotation: The globe moves around this line (imaginary) from west to east in A.C wise
direction around its own axis.

Equator and Latitudes:

- Another imaginary circular line running horizontally on the globe
divides it into two equal parts. The line is called the Equator.
Northern half is northern Hemisphere and the Southern half is
Southern Hemisphere. All parallel circles from the equator up
to the poles are called parallels of latitude.
 - Lines of latitude are measured from the center of the earth and usually measured in degrees. 1 degree =
70 miles or 113 Km. As we move away from the equator, the size of the parallels of latitude decreases.

Important parallels of Latitude:

1) Tropic of Cancer (23.50 N) in the Northern Hemisphere.
2) Tropic of Capricorn (23.50 S) in the Southern Hemisphere.
3) Arctic Circle at 66. 50 N of the Equator.
4) Antarctic Circle at 66. 50 S of the Equator.

Heat Zones of the Earth: The latitude of a region has a great effect on its climate and weather.
1) Torrid Zone or Tropical Zone: Lies between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. The word
torrid means hot. This hottest zone of the earth receives direct sunlight throughout the year. Also known
as the Tropical zone. Receives abundant rainfall and has abundant green plants and trees and varied animal
life.
2) Temperate Zone or Moderate Zone: Between the tropic of cancer and Arctic Circle in the North and the
Tropic of Capricorn and Antarctic Circle in the South are two zones of moderate temperature called
Temperate zones. Temperate means moderate. This zone never receives sun rays vertically. Instead,
slanted rays fall on this zone.
3) Frigid Zone: The area that lies to the North of the Arctic circle and to the South of the Antarctic circle is
called Frigid Zone. The sun never rises much above the Horizon here and these areas are frozen for most of
the year and are the coldest region of the world.
Longitudes and Meridians:
- Describes the location of a place on the earth east or west of a north to south running imaginary
line called the Prime Meridian.
- The meridians of longitude are lines running north South through the poles.
- Longitude is the number of degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian (zero degree) which passes
through Greenwich (England)
- Lines of longitude are measured from the centre of the earth.
- The Prime meridian (00 Longitude) and the 180th meridian is a great circle that divides the earth into
the EASTERN and the WESTERN Hemisphere.
The 1800 Longitude line is also referred to as the
International Date Line.
The meridians are numbered up to 180 degree to the east
and west of the line of 0 degree longitude or the Prime
Meridian.
The value of the meridian is followed by the letter E or
W.
180 degree East and 180 degree West meridians are the
same. There are 360 meridians in total.
Meridians are not parallel. They come together at the
poles. The parallels and meridians form a mesh or a grid.
Longitude and Time:
 - As the earth turns, the sun appears to move across the sky. Global
time system is also oriented to the sun. Everyday the sun rises in
the East and sets in the West. This movement is caused by the
rotation of earth from west to east. Therefore places to the East of
a given longitude will have sunrise first.
- The Earth takes 24 hours to cover 360 meridians. This means that
it covers 360/24 = 15 degree meridians in 1 hour. . . or one
meridian in 4 min (60 min/15). Based on this calculation, the
difference in time of different places is calculated.
- Greenwich England was chosen to be the location for Universal
Time, because it is located along the Prime Meridian. This
meridian is known to be Greenwich Mean Time. For e.g. Chicago
is GMT minus 6 hrs. . . So when it is 7 pm in Greenwich (7-6=1), it is 1 pm in Chicago.
- It is the time in any of the 24 time zones (each an hour apart) into which the earth is divided.
The Indian Standard Time is the time observed throughout India and Sri Lanka. The IST is calculated on
the basis of 82 1/20 E. longitude which is just west of the town Mirzapur, near
Allahabad (U.P). The longitudinal difference between Mirzapur and Greenwich is
5 hr 30 mins. As the Standard Meridian of India is towards the east of the Prime
Meridian, the IST is 5 + 30 hrs ahead of GMT.
Chapter 3. MOTIONS OF THE EARTH
Key words: Rotation Revolution Orbital plane Circle of illumination Earthday Inclination of the
earths axis and the orbital plane Leap Year Elliptical orbit Seasons summer, winter, spring, Autumn
Summer Solstice Winter Solstice Equinox.

Two types of motions:

Rotation The movement of the earth on its axis.
Revolution The movement of the earth around the sun in a fixed path or orbit is called Revolution.

66 1/20 angle with Orbital Plane: The axis of the

Inclination of the earths axis and the orbital
plane
earth which is an imaginary line, makes an angle
of 66 1/20 with its orbital plane.
Orbital Plane: The plane formed by the orbit is
known as the orbital plane.
The Earth day: The Earths 24 hours period of
rotation around its axis is known as the earth day.
Revolution: The second motion of the earth
around the sun in its orbit is called revolution. It
takes 365 days 6 hours to revolve around the sun.
Elliptical orbit: The earth moves around the sun in
an elliptical orbit.
Inclination never changes: Throughout its orbit,
the earth is inclined in the same direction.

Circle of Due to the spherical shape of the earth, the one half facing the sun experiences day
Illumination: while the other half away from the sun experiences night. The circle that divides the
day from night on the globe is called the circle of illumination.
The circle does not coincide with the axis.
Leap Year 6 hours saved every year are added to make one day (24 hours) over a span of four
years. This surplus day is added to the month of February every fourth year, due to
which this month every 4th year is of 29 days instead of 28 days. Such a year with
366 days is called a Leap Year.
Seasons A year is usually divided into summer, winter, Autumn and spring. Seasons change
because of the change in the position of the earth around the sun.
 Figure: Revolution of the earth and Seasons
st
June 21 The Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun. The rays fall directly on
Summer the tropic of cancer. North pole is inclined towards the Sun. Since a large
Solstice portion of the Northern Hemisphere is getting light from the Sun, it is
summer in the regions north of the equator.
The longest day and shortest night at these places occur on 21st June (in N.
Hemisphere)
Conditions reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. It is winter season there.
The nights are longer than the days. This position of the earth is called the
summer solstice.
December 22nd The tropic of Capricorn receives direct rays of the sun as the South Pole tilts towards
Winter it. Therefore, it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere with longer days and shorter
Solstice nights. The reverse happens in the N. Hemisphere. This position of the earth is
called winter solstice.
March 21st & Direct rays of the sun fall on the equator. At this position neither of the poles is
Sept 23rd tilted towards the sun; So whole earth experiences equal days and equal nights.
Equinox This is called an EQUINOX.
Autumn & On 23rd Sept. it is autumn season in the N. Hemisphere and spring season in
Spring the S. Hemisphere.
The opposite is the case on 21st March, when it is spring in the Northern
Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
Poles 6 On 21st June, the Northern Hemisphere and the North pole is inclined
months day & 6 towards the sun and the places beyond the Arctic Circle experiences
months night. continuous daylight for about six months.
On the reverse, S. Hemisphere as well as South pole experiences night.
Likewise, on 22nd December, the S. Hemisphere as well as South pole is
inclined to sun, and the places beyond the Antarctic circle experiences
 continuous daylight for about 6 months, and on the reverse, at this time N.
pole experiences night.
Symbols & The Sexagesimal system of angular measurement
Abbreviations Unit Value Symbol Abbreviations
1
Degree 360 circle deg
Arcminute 160 degree (prime) arcmin, amin,
Arcsecond 160 arcminute (double prime) arcsec, asec, as

Chapter 4. MAPS

Key words Map Physical, Political, Thematic Components of maps distance, direction and
symbol Scale small scale map, Large scale map Cardinal directions Intermediate
directions compass
Symbols Conventional symbols, sketch, Plan
Map A map is a representation or a drawing of the earths surface or a part of it drawn on a flat
surface according to a scale.
Physical maps: maps showing natural features of the earth such as mountains, plateaus,
plains, rivers, oceans etc., are called physical or relief maps.
Political maps: Maps showing cities, towns and villages, and different countries and
states of the world with their boundaries are called political maps.
Thematic maps: Some maps focus on specific information, such as road maps, rainfall
maps, maps showing distribution of forests, industries etc. are known as thematic maps.
3 Components 1. Distance:
of map Maps are drawn to reduced scales. Reduction is done very carefully so that the
distance b/w the places is real.
Scale is the ratio b/w the actual distance on the ground and the distance shown on
the map.
- Small scale map: When large areas like continents or countries are to be shown
on a paper, then we use a small scale. For e.g.,. 5cm on the map shows 500 km on
the ground. It is called a small scale map
- Large Scale map: When a small area like your village or town is to be shown area like
your village or town is to be shown on paper, then we use a large scale i.e., 5 cm on the
map shows 500 meters only on the ground. It is called a large scale map.
- Large scale maps give more information than SSM.
2. Direction:
Most maps contain an arrow marked with the letter N at the upper right hand
corner, which shows north direction. It is called North Line.
- 4 Cardinal Directions: 4 major ones: North, South, East, West
- 4 Intermediate Directions: NE, NW, SE, SW
 3. Symbols:
Features such as Buildings, roads, bridges, trees, railway lines or a well are shown
by using certain letters, shades, colours, pictures, and lines. This is characterised
as the universal language understood by all.
There is an International Agreement regarding the use of these symbols. These are
called Conventional symbols. E.g. Blue= water bodies, Brown = Mountains,
Yellow = Plateau, Green = plain.

Sketch It is a drawing mainly based on memory and spot observation and not to scale.
Plan A plan is a drawing of a small area on a large scale. We may sometimes want to know, for
e.g.,. the length and breadth of a room, which cant be shown in a map. At that time, we
can refer drawings drawn to scale called a plan.

Chapter 5. MAJOR DOMAINS OF THE EARTH

Key words Life sustaining elements Lithosphere Atmosphere Hydrosphere Biosphere.

Continents Ocean basins sea level Mt. Everest (8,848 m) Mariana Trench in
the Pacific Ocean (11,022m)
7 Continents Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Australia,
Antarctica Ural mountains Eurasia - Sahara Desert River Nile Isthmus of
Panama The Andes Mountain range The Amazon Island continent South Polar
Region Maitri and Dakshin Gangotri 3 movements of ocean water the waves,
the tides, and the ocean currents.
4 Major oceans the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic ocean. S shaped
Atlantic ocean Indented coastline Berring Strait.
5 layers in the atmosphere the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the
thermosphere, the exosphere. Nitrogen Oxygen Carbon dioxide, Argon Wind
Oxygen cylinders - Global temperature or G.W.
Land, The earth is the only planet which has life. Human beings can live here because the life
Water, Air sustaining elements of land, water, air are present on the earth.
A Complex The surface of the earth is a complex zone in which three main components of the
Zone environment meet, overlap and interact.
The solid portion of the earth on which we live is called the Lithosphere. The
gaseous layers that surround the earth is the Atmosphere, where Oxygen, Nitrogen,
Carbon dioxide and other gases are found. Hydrosphere comprises water in all its
forms, i.e., ice, water and water vapour. The Biosphere is the narrow zone of contact
b/w the land, water and air.
LITHOSPHERE
Lithosphere The solid portion of the earth. It comprises the rocks of the earths crust and the
thin layers of soil that contain nutrient elements which sustain organisms.
Two major divisions of the earths surface : Continents and Ocean Bodies. All
the oceans of the world are connected with one another.
Sea Level The level of sea water remains the same everywhere. Elevation of land is
measured from the level of the sea, which is taken as Zero.
For e.g., The highest mountain Mt. Everest is 8,848 m. above the sea level. The
greatest depth of 11,022 m. is recorded at Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
Therefore depth of sea is much more than the highest point.
7 Continents These are separated by large water bodies. Greater part of the land mass lies in
the Northern Hemisphere.
1. ASIA:
- Largest continent. Covers about one third of the total area of the earth. It lies in the
Eastern Hemisphere. The tropic of Cancer passes through this continent.
- Ural mountains separate Asia from Europe. The combined landmasses of Europe and
Asia is called the Eurasia.
2. EUROPE:
- Much smaller than Asia. The continent lies to the west of Asia. The Arctic Circle
passes through it. Bound by water bodies on three sides.
3. AFRICA:
- Second largest after Asia. The equator or 00 latitude runs through almost the middle of
the continent. A large part of Africa lies in the North Hemisphere. It is the only
continent through which the Tropic of Cancer, the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn
pass.
- The Sahara Desert the worlds largest hot desert is located in Africa. The continent is
bound on all sides by oceans and seas.
- The Nile Worlds longest river flows through Africa.
4. NORTH AMERICA:
- Third largest Continent. It is linked to South America by a very narrow Strip of land
called the Isthmus of Panama. 3 oceans surround this continent.
 5. SOUTH AMERICA:
- Lies mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. Surrounded by Atlantic ocean in the East
and Pacific ocean in the West. The Andes, worlds longest mountain range, runs through
its length from north to South. It has the worlds largest river, the Amazon.
6. ASTRALIA:
- The smallest continent that lies entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. Surrounded on
all sides by the oceans and seas. It is called an Island Ocean.
7. ANTARCTICA:
- Completely in the Southern Hemisphere. The South pole lies almost at the centre of
this continent. It is located in the South Polar Region. Hence covered with thick ice
sheets. There are no permanent human settlements. Many countries have research
centres/ stations in Antarctica. Indias research stations are: Maitri and Dhakshina
Gangotri.
Strait It is a narrow passage of water connecting two large water bodies like seas and
oceans. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between
two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of
water that is otherwise not navigable, for example because it is too shallow, or
because it contains an unnavigable reef or archipelago.
E.g. 1) Palk strait = b/w India and SL 2) Torres Strait = New Guinea and
Australia 3) Sunda Strait = Sumatra and Java 4) Dover Strait = Great Britain
and France 5) Panama canal = N and S America. 6) Gibraltar Strait = Europe
and Africa 7) Drake Passage = S. America and Antarctica 8) Cook Strait =
North island and South island of New Zealand 9) Berring Strait = Pacific
ocean and Antarctic ocean
Isthmus A narrow strip of land joining two landmasses.
E.g. 1) Isthmus of Panama that connects North and South America (Panama
canal passes thru it connecting Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean),
Isthmus of Kra in Southern Thailand (Thai canal or Kra canal) passes thru it
connecting Gulf of Thailand and Indian Ocean)
Isthmus of Suez (in Egypt) linking Africa and Asia landmasses (Suez artificial
waterway connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in
November 1869, it allows ship transport between Europe and Asia without
navigation around Africa.

HYDROSPHERE
71:29 The earth is called the Blue planet. More than 71% of the earth is covered with
water and 29% with land.
As running water in oceans and rivers and in lakes, ice in glaciers underground
water and the water vapour in atmosphere all comprise the Hydrosphere.
Water More than 97% of the Earths water is found in the oceans and is too salty for
human use. A large proportion of the rest of the water is in the form of ice-sheets
and glaciers or under the ground and a very small percentage is available as fresh
water for human use. Hence, despite being a blue planet we face a shortage of
 water!
Oceans Major part of hydrosphere. They are all interconnected. Three Chief movements
of ocean waters are the waves, tides and the ocean currents.
4 major oceans are: 1) The Pacific Ocean 2) The Atlantic Ocean 3) The Indian
Ocean and 4) Arctic Ocean
Pacific ocean is the largest, spread over one third of the earth. Mariana Trench,
the deepest part of the earth lies in it. It is circular in shape. Asia, Australia, N.
and S. Americas surround it.
The Atlantic ocean is the 2nd largest ocean in the world. It is S shaped. It is
flanked by the North and South Americas on the western side, and Europe and
Africa on the Eastern side. The coastline of Atlantic ocean is highly indented.
This irregular and indented coastline provides ideal location for natural harbours
and parts, from the point of view of commerce, it is the busiest ocean.
The Indian Ocean is the only ocean named after a country, i.e., India. The shape
of ocean is almost triangular. In the North, it is bounded by Asia, in the west by
Africa and in the east by Australia.
The Arctic ocean is located within the Arctic circle and surrounds the North pole.
It is connected with the Pacific ocean by a narrow stretch of shallow water known
as Berring Strait. It is bounded by northern coasts of North America and Eurasia.

ATMOSPHERE
The Earth is surrounded by a layer of gas called the atmosphere. It provides us with the air we
breathe and protects us from the harmful effects (radiation) of Suns rays.
Division of The atmosphere extends up to a height of about 1,600 km. the atmosphere is
Atmosphere divided into five layers based on composition, temperature and other properties.
These layers starting from earths surface are called 1) The Troposphere 2) The
Stratosphere 3) The Mesosphere 4) The Thermosphere and 5) the Exosphere.
The atmosphere is composed of 78% of Nitrogen, 21 % of Oxygen and 1 %
other gases like Carbon di-oxide, Argon etc..
Density Varies with height. It is maximum at the sea level and decreases rapidly as we
go up. The climbers experience problems in breathing due to this decrease in the
density o fair. The temperature also decreases as we go upwards.
Wind The atmosphere exerts pressure on the earth. Some areas experience high pressure and
some areas low pressure. Air moves from high pressure to low pressure. Moving air is
known as wind.

BIOSPHERE
Domain of The biosphere is the narrow zone of contact between the land, water, and air. It
Life is in this zone that life, that is unique to this planet, exists.
The organisms in the Biosphere may broadly be divided into the plant kingdom
and the animal kingdom.
Interaction The three domains of the earth interact with each other and affect each other in
 some way or the other. For e.g. natural calamities, discharge of waste material
into lakes and rivers, emission from industries, thermal power plants and
vehicles.
CO2 Carbon dioxide is an important constituent of air. But increase in the amount of
CO2 leads to increase in Global temperatures. This is termed as Global Warming.
Need of the There is, thus, a need to limit the use of resources of the earth to maintain the
hour balance of nature between the domains of the lithosphere, the atmosphere and the
hydrosphere.

Chapter 6. MAJOR LANDFORMS OF THE EARTH

The Earth has an infinite variety of landforms, which is a result of two reasons or processes:
1) Internal process leads to the upliftment and sinking of the earths surface at several places.
2) External Process: is the continuous wearing down and rebuilding of the land surface.
Erosion and The wearing away of the earths surface is called erosion. The surface is being
Deposition lowered by the process of erosion and rebuilt by the process of deposition.
These two processes are carried out by running water, ice and wind.
Three groups (depending on elevation and slope) 1) Mountains 2) Plateaus 3) Plains
of landforms

1. MOUNTAINS
Any natural elevation of the earths surface. In some mountains, there are permanently frozen rivers
of ice. They are called Glaciers.
There are some mountains which cannot be seen as they are under the sea!.
Range:
Mountains may be arranged in a line called range. Many mountain systems consist of a series of parallel
ranges extending over hundreds of kilometers. E.g. the Himalayas in India, the Alphs in Europe and Andes
in South America.
4 Types of Mountains:
Folded (Complex) Fault-Block Mountains Volcanic Mountains Upward (Dome)
Mountains Mountains
Fold mountains occur Fault-Block mountains are Formed due to nearly circular
when two plates collide: caused by faults in the volcanic activities. folded mountains.
shortening occurs along crust - a seam where rocks E.g. Mt. Not found in
thrust faults and the crust can move past each other. Khilimanjaro in mountain belts,
is overthickened due to When rocks on one side of Africa instead they are
compressional force. a fault rise relative to the Mt. Fujiyama in individual, isolated
Oldest Fold mountains. other, it can form a Japan. structures that tend
E.g. Aravali range (India), mountain. to occur in areas of
Appalachians (N.A), Ural Horsts or Block Mts: The essentially flat-lying
Mountains (Russia) uplifted blocks. sedimentary rocks.
Young Fold mountains: Graben: Lowered or
E.g. Himalayas in India dropped blocks.
and Alps in Europe E.g. Rhine Valley and the
Vosges Mt. in Europe

Uses of 1. A storehouse of water: Many rivers have their sources in glaciers in the mountains.
Mountains 2. Water from the mountains is also used for irrigation and generation of Hydro
electricity. The river valleys and terraces are ideal for cultivation of crops.
3. Mountains have a variety of Flora and Fauna.
4. The forests provide fuel, fodder, shelter and other products like gum, raisins etc.
5. This scenic beauty attracts tourists.
6. Several sports like paragliding, hang gliding, river rafting and skiing are popular in the
mountains.
Youngest The Himalayan mountains began forming in the late Cretaceous-Tertiary
and Period (70million years) and continue to increase in elevation even today. That makes
Oldest them among the youngest of mountain chains on the earth.
Mts. Compare the Himalayan mountains with the Appalachian mountains (300 million
years). The Appalachian are "old fold mountains" having been formed hundreds of
millions of years ago. And, although they reached a height taller than Mt. Everest, the
Appalachian mountains have eroded so that they are less than 10,000 feet tall today.
Mt Mauna Kea is almost double the height of Mt. Everest (from base ocean-floor to
Everest Vs summit)!
Mauna An altitude of 8,848 meters (29,028 ft) makes Mt. Everest Earths highest mountain
Kea or the highest altitude.
Mauna Kea rises over 10,205 meters (33,465 ft) above the Pacific ocean floor making
it taller than Everest.
Farthest We all know which mountain is the highest above mean sea level: Mt. Everest at
mountain 29,028 feet above SL.
from How many of us know which Mountains Summit is Farthest from the Center of
earths the Earth?
center That is Chimbarazo, not Mt. Everest (29,028 ft a/s/l).
We have to understand that the Earth is not a perfect sphere. The Earth is actually
bulging along the Equator and flattened at the poles. This is caused by the spinning of
the Earth on its axis (as the Earth rotates, centrifugal force is greatest at the equator
so it causes a slight outward bulge there, giving that region a larger circumference
and diameter). This type of shape is described as an oblate spheroid, or oblate
ellipsoid.
The equatorial diameter of Earth is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) longer than the
Earths pole to pole diameter. Thus, a tall mountain right on the Equator would be
much farther from the center of the Earth than a tall mountain that is far from the
Earths equator.
Chimborazo is located 1 degree south of the Equator in Ecuador
Mt. Everest is at 28 degrees north of the Equator (see image below)
Chimborazos Summit at 20,564 above sea level
Chimborazo is the mountain farthest from the Earths center
Everest Edmund Hillary (New Zealand) and Tensing Norgay Sherpa (India): 1st man to
Climbers climb on 29th May 1953.
Junko Tabei (Japan) was the first woman to reach the summit on 16/may/1975
Bachendri Pal: 1st Indian woman to climb the Mountain on 23/May/1984

2. PLATEAUS
A plateau is any elevated flat land. It is a flat topped table land standing above the surrounding
area.
Its height varies from few hundred to several thousand meters. Plateaus, like mountains, may be
young or old. The Deccan plateau in India is one of the oldest plateaus. The East African plateau in
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and the Western Plateau of Australia are other examples.
The Tibetan Plateau is the highest plateau in the world with a height of 4,000 to 6,000 meters above
the mean sea level.
Uses of They are rich in mineral deposits. Many of the mining areas in the world are located
Plateaus in the plateau areas.
The African plateau is famous for gold and diamond mining. In India, a huge
reserves of iron, coal and manganese are found in the Chhotanagapur plateau.
Water falls in some plateau areas: In India, the Hudru falls in the Chhotanagapur
plateau on the river Subarnarekha and the Jog falls in Karnataka are examples of
such waterfalls.
The Lava plateaus are rich in black soil that are fertile and good for cultivation.

3. PLAINS
Plains are large stretches of flat land. They are generally not more than 200 meters above
 mean sea level. Some plains are extremely level while some others are slightly rolling and
undulating.
Most of the plains are formed by rivers and their tributaries. The rivers which flow down the
slopes of mountains, carry forward the eroded material like stones, sand and silt and deposit
them along their courses and in their valleys. It is from these deposits that plains are formed.
Uses of Plains: plains are very thickly populated regions of the world, as they are very fertile
and construction of transport network is easy.
Some of the largest plains made by the rivers are formed in Asia and North- America. In Asia,
these plains are formed by the Ganga and the Brahmaputra in India and Yangtze in China.

Chapter 7. OUR COUNTRY INDIA

India is the country of vast geographical expanse. In the North, it is bounded by the lofty
Himalayas, the Arabian sea in the west, the Bay of Bengal in the East and the Indian ocean in the
south, wash the shores of the Indian Peninsula.
3.28 million sq. km. - Indias area.
3,200 km - The North South extent from Kashmir to Kanyakumari
2,900 km The East West extent from Arunachal Pradesh to Kuchch.
Diversity of The lofty mountains, the Great Indian Desert, the Northern plains, the uneven
landforms plateau surface and the coasts and islands present a diversity of landforms.
Unity of There is a great variety in the climate, vegetation, wildlife as well as in the
Diversity language, religion and culture. In this diversity, we find unity that is reflected
in traditions that bind us as one nation.
2nd most populous country in the World after China.
Peninsula A piece of land that is surrounded by water on 3 sides and land on one side.
Locational India is located in the Northern and Eastern Hemisphere.
Setting The Tropic of cancer (230 30 N) passes almost halfway through the country.
From South to North,
main land of India
extends between 80 4
N and 370 6 N
latitude.
From West to East,
India extends between
680 7 E and 970 25 E
Longitudes.

IST The local time of longitude of 820 30 E has been taken as the IST.
290 Due to Indias great longitudinal extent of about 290, there could be a 2 hours
Longitudinal difference in local time of places located at two extreme points of India (10
Extent Longitude = 4 min). That is, the Sun rises 2 hours earlier in the east
(Arunachal Pradesh) than in the West (Gujarat)
Indias Seven countries share land
neighbours boundaries with India.
2 Island neighbours: Srilanka
and Maldieves are our island
neighbours lying across the sea
to the south.
Palk Strait = Srilanka is
separated from India by it.
Political Extent of Country:
India comprises 28 States, 7
UTs and 1 NCT of Delhi.
Rajasthan = Biggest in area.
Multi-time Goa = countries
Large Smallest in area.stretch extensively from east to west do not have a
which
Zones single Standard time for the whole country. The Russia, The USA, and
Canada have 24, 7 and 6 Time Zones respectively.

PHYSICAL DIVISIONS

India is marked by a diversity of physical features such as Mountains, Plateaus, Plains, Coasts,
Rivers and Islands.
Snow
capped Sanding as sentinels in the north.
Himalayas The Himalayan Mountains are divided into three main parallel ranges.
1) Greater Himalaya or Hemadri: The northern most range. The worlds highest
peaks are located in this range.
2) Middle Himalaya or Himachal: Lies to the south of Himadri. Many popular hill
stations are situated here.
3) The Shiwalik: The Southern-most range.
The Lie to the south of the Himalayas. Generally level and flat. These are formed
Northern by the alluvial soil deposits laid down by the rivers the Indus, the Ganga, the
Indian Brahmaputra, and their tributaries.
Plains These river plains provide fertile land for cultivation, which is the reason for
high concentration of population in these plains.
The Great Lies in the western part of India. Its a dry, hot and sandy stretch of land. It has
Indian very little vegetation.
Desert
The It lies to the south of Northern plains. Triangular in shape. The relief is highly
Peninsular uneven.
Plateau A region with many hill ranges and valleys.
Aravalli hills, one of the oldest ranges of the world, border it on the north
west side.
 The Vindhyas and the Satpuras are the important ranges. The rivers Narmada
and Tapi flow through these ranges. These are west flowing rivers that drain
into the Arabian Sea.
The Western Ghats or Sahyadris border the plateau in the West. Eastern Ghats
provide the eastern boundary. While the Western Ghats are almost continuous,
the E. Ghats are broken and uneven.
The plateau is rich in minerals like coal and iron-ore.
Coastal Lies to the west of the Western Ghats and the east of Eastern Ghats.
Plains The Western Coastal plains are very narrow, whereas, the Eastern coastal plains
are much broader.
Rivers There are a number of east flowing rivers. The rivers Mahanadi, Godavari,
Krishna and Cauvery drain into the Bay of Bengal. These rivers have formed
fertile deltas at their mouth.
The Sundarbun delta: is formed where the Ganga and Brahmaputra flow into
the Bay of Bengal. Worlds longest delta. The delta is triangular in shape. It is
an area of land formed at the mouth of the river.
Alluvial deposits: These are very fine soils, brought by rivers and deposited in
the river basins.
Tributary: A river or a stream which contributes its water to a main river by
discharging it into main river from either side.
Mouth of the River: The point where rivers enter the sea is called its mouth.
Corals: Corals are skeletons of tiny marine animals called polyps. When the
living polyps die, their skeletons are left. Other polyps grow on top of the hard
skeleton which grows higher and higher, thus forming the coral islands.
Islands Two groups of islands also form part of India. Lakshadweep islands are located
in the Arabian Sea. These are coral islands located off the coast of Kerala.
The Andaman and the Nicobar islands lie to the south-east of the Indian
mainland in the Bay of Bengal.
Tsunami: It is a huge sea wave generated due to an earthquake on the sea floor.
Tsunami had struck the Indian coast in 2004.

Physical Features of India

Concept map of Physical features of India

Chapter 8: INDIA- CLIMATE, VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE

Weather = it is all about day to day changes in the atmosphere.

It includes changes in temperature, rainfall and sunshine etc. - it may be hot or cold; sunny or
cloudy; windy or calm.

Broadly, 4 major seasons recognised in India are:

Season Common Name Month

1. Cold Weather Season Winter December - January - February
2. Hot Weather Season Summer March - April - May
3. Southwest Monsoon Season Rainy June - July - August - September
4. Season of Retreating Monsoon Autumn October - November

Cold Weather Season sun rays do not fall directly in the region. As a result the temperatures are quite
or Winter low in northern India.
Hot Weather Season sun rays more or less directly fall in this region. Temperature becomes very
or Summer high. Hot and dry winds called loo, blow during the day.
Southwest Monsoon onset and advance of monsoon rain. The winds blow from Arabian Sea and
Season or Rainy Bay of Bengal towards the land. They carry moisture with them. When these
winds strike the mountain barriers, rainfall occurs.
Season of Retreating Winds move back from the mainland to the Bay of Bengal. This is the season
Monsoon or Autumn of the retreating monsoons. The southern parts of India, particularly Tamil
Nadu and Andhra Pradesh receive rainfall in this season.
Climate = is about the average weather condition, which have been measured over many years.

climate of India has broadly been described as Monsoon type. Monsoon is taken from the Arabic
word mausim, which means seasons. Due to Indias location in the tropical region, most of the
rain is brought by monsoon winds.
climate of a place is affected by its location, altitude, distance from the sea, and relief.
Therefore, we experience regional differences in the climate of India.
o Jaisalmer and Bikaner in the desert of Rajasthan are very hot
o Drass and Kargil in J. & K. are freezing cold.
o Coastal places like Mumbai and Kolkata experience moderate climate. (being on the coast,
they are very humid)
o Mawsynram in Meghalaya receives the worlds highest rainfall,

NATURAL VEGETATION

The grasses, shrubs and trees, which grow on their own without interference or help from human
beings are called natural vegetation.
Different types of natural vegetation are dependent on different climatic conditions including rainfall
Due to varied climatic conditions, vegetation of India can be divided into five types
o Tropical evergreen (rain) forest
o Tropical deciduous forest
o Thorny bushes
o Mountain vegetation and
o Mangrove forests.

Tropical evergreen - occur in the areas which receive heavy rainfall (more than 200 cm).
(rain) forests - They are so dense that sunlight doesnt reach the ground.
- different species of trees shed their leaves at different times of the year, because of
which they always appear green and are called evergreen forest.
- Andaman - Nicobar Islands, parts of North-Eastern states and the Western Ghats
are home of these forests.
- Important trees: mahogany, ebony and rosewood, Rubber and Cinchona
Tropical deciduous - we have this type of forest in a large part of our country, where rainfall is between
forest 200 - 70 cm
- also called monsoon forests.
- less dense - shed their leaves at a particular time of the year.
- found in MP, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and in parts of
Maharashtra.
- Important trees: sal, teak, sandalwood, peepal, neem and shisham.
Thorny bushes - found in dry areas of the country.
- leaves are in the form of spines to reduce the loss of water.
- found in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Eastern slopes of Western Ghats and Gujarat
- important trees: Cactus, khair, babool, keekar
Mountain - Found at high altitudes in mountainous areas
vegetation - With increase in height, the temperature falls. Between 1500 metres and 2500
metres most of the trees are conical in shape, hence called coniferous trees.
- important trees: Chir, Pine and Deodar.
Mangrove forests. - survive in saline water.
- found mainly in Sunderbans in West Bengal and in Andaman-Nicobar Islands.
- well-known species of tree: Sundari, after which Sunderbans have been named.

Flora and Fauna of Mountain Forests:

Flora:
There is a succession of natural vegetation belts as per altitude:
Altitude Name of forest Features
1000m - 2000m Wet temperate Evergreen broad leaf trees like oaks and chestnuts predominate.
forests
1500m - 3000m Temperate forest - contains coniferous trees like Pine, Deodar, Silver Fir, Spruce
and Cedar.
- Cover mostly the southern slopes of the Himalayas.
3000m - 3600m Temperate -
Grasslands
Above 3600m Alpine - Silver Fir, Junipers, Pines and Birches are common.
Vegetation - At even higher altitudes and with the approach of the snow line
the vegetation changes from shrubs and scrubs to alpine and
Grasslands.
Only mosses, lichens and very small shrubs grow during the very
short summer which is called Tundra type of Vegetation.
Fauna: Kashmir Stag, Spotted Deer, Wild Sheep, Antelope, Jack Rabbit, Snow Leopard, Yak, Squirrels,
Red Panda, Sheep and Goats with thick hair etc.

WHY ARE FORESTS NECESSARY?

Plants release oxygen that we breathe and absorb carbon dioxide.

The roots of the plants bind the soil, thereby controlling soil erosion.
Forests provide us with timber for furniture, fuel wood, fodder, medicinal plants and herbs, lac,
honey, gum, etc.
Forests are the natural habitat of wild life.

WILD LIFE

Forests are home to a variety of wild life.

a large variety of reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, insects and worms dwell in the forest.

Wild Life Its Habitat

Tiger Our national animal. Found in various parts of the country.
Asiatic lions Gir forest in Gujarat
Elephants and one-horned forests of Assam
Rhinoceroses
Elephants Kerala and Karnataka
Camels Great Indian desert - Rajasthan
wild asses Rann of Kuchchh
Wild goats, snow leopards, Himalayan region
bears
 India is equally rich in bird life. The peacock is our national bird. Other common birds are parrots,
pigeons, mynah, geese, bulbul and ducks.
There are several bird sanctuaries which have been created to give birds their natural habitat
protecting them from hunters/ poachers.
Due to defortation and hunting, several species of wildlife are becoming extinct.
to protect them many national parks, sanctuaries and biosphere reserves have been set up.
o a bio-reserve helps to maintain the bio-diversity and culture of that area.
o E.g, Pachmari biosphere reserve consists of one National Park named Satpura and two Wild
Life Sanctuaries named Bori and Pachmari.
o Two other examples are - Nilgiri, Nanda Devi.
The Govt. has also started Project Tiger and Project Elephant to protect these animals.
Every year we observe wildlife week in the first week of October, to create awareness of
conserving the habitats of the animal kingdom.
Migratory Birds Some birds such as the Pelican, Siberian Crane, Stork, Flamingo, Pintail Duck and
Curlew migrate to our country in the winter season every year.
***********************
R. HARISH.
1. List of reference
: NCERT Text Book, Edunetworking Youtube Videos, Google images, www.excellup.com,
www.seasky.org, and ofcourse Mrunals super-duper note making style!