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 Planets are the heavenly bodies that move around the Sun.
Planets do not have own light and they receive light from the
Sun.

 The Earth is the fifth biggest planet among the eight planets
of the solar system. It is the third nearest planet to the Sun
too. The presence of life in the Earth gives it a unique feature.
It is also known as Blue Planet as it appears blue from the
satellite due to presence of water in 2/3rd area of the Earth.

 The Life supporting factors of the Earth are: Presence of
Water, the atmosphere of the Earth is suitable for the living
beings, the temperature of the Earth is also suitable for
supporting the life forms.

 The heavenly bodies that revolve around their respective
planets are called Satellites.

 The moon is the Earth’s only natural satellite. As the Earth
moves round the Sun, so the Moon in turn revolves round the
Earth.

 The asteroids are the tiny fragments of the planets. These
round the Sun.

 Asteroids collide with each other and form tiny fragments.
Some of the fragments enter into the Earth’s atmosphere are
called Meteors.

 Comets are heavenly bodies with a head and long tail and
made up of dust and frozen ice.

 Milky Way Galaxy -- Our Solar system is located in the 'Milky Way
Galaxy' (or Akashganga). It is spiral in shape. It consists of more
than 100 billion stars rotating and revolving about its centre.

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 Constellation -- A group of stars is called a Constellation. Stars
in the constellation are connected by imaginary lines to form
different shapes.

 New Moon -- When the moon comes between the Earth and
the Sun it becomes invisible for its face turned towards the
Earth remains in darkness while the hidden side receives
sunlight.

 Full Moon -- When the Moon advances along its orbit and
the Sun begins to light up the side turned towards the Earth a
thin crescent moon is seen in the western sky. As the sunlight
advances across the Moon’s disc the crescent grows larger
and in some days the whole disc becomes visible.

 Asteroids -- The asteroids are the tiny fragments of the
planets. These round the Sun.

 Meteors -- Asteroids collide with each other and form tiny
fragments. Some of the fragments enter into the Earth’s
atmosphere are called Meteors.

 Comets -- Comets are heavenly bodies with a head and long
tail and made up of dust and frozen ice.

TEST YOURSELF

A. Answer the following questions.
1. What do you mean by the Universe?
2. What is the 'Milky Way Galaxy'?
3. What is the Indian name of Pole Star?
4. What do you mean by the Constellation?

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5. Define Planets.

6. Why the Earth is called Blue Planet?

7. Define Comets and Meteors.

B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

1. The diameter of the Sun is about times of the diameter of the Earth.

2. The Sun is made up of and .

3. The are the tiny fragments of the planets .

4. Halley’s Comet appears in the sky after every years.

5. The was excluded from the list of the planets.

C. Write whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Earth completes one revolution around the Sun in 365 days.

2. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars are made up of liquid materials.

3. The surface temperature of the Sun is about 15000000°C while at the centre it is
6000° C.

4. The Ursa Major is an example of a Constellation.

5. There are 8 Planets in the solar system.

D. Write down the answers in brief.

1. Discuss briefly about the Solar System.

2. Write a short note on the Big Bang Theory and the Phases of the Moon.

3. Write a short note on the Earth.

4. Write a short note on Meteors.

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Shape and size of the Earth:

Previously there were many contradictions and myths regarding the shape of the Earth.
Someone said Earth is of flat shape. According to others it is of round shape with flat
edge. But they were unable to provide any proper logic. But nowadays, our idea about
the spherical shape of the Earth has become clear due to the following reasons:

1. An expedition of a Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in September, 1519
proved that the Earth is round because he sailed from Seville in Spain with five ships
(The ships were named as the Trinidad, the Santiago, the Victoria, the Concepcion,
and the San Antonio) and one of his ships returned back to the same place. On the
basis of that he claimed that the Earth is of round shaped.

2. The theory of Nicolas Copernicus (mathematician and astronomer) also rejected
several myths regarding the shape of the Earth and gave evidences that the Earth is
spherical shaped.

3. Pictures taken by the astronauts and moon walkers.

4. Pictures taken from the spaceships and satellites.

Actually, the shape of the Earth is not perfectly round or circular or spherical. It is
better to say that the shape of the Earth is like the Earth only, as there is no other
object whose shape can perfectly be comparable to the Earth.

There is a term oblate spheroid is used to describe the actual shape of the Earth. The
term oblate means a little oblong appearance and the term spheroid means almost a
sphere but not a perfect sphere. The polar diameter (from North Pole to South Pole) of
the Earth is approximately 12,714 km (the shortest diameter) while its equatorial
diameter is approximately 12,756 km (the longest diameter). The difference between
the two is not so big, but it does not make the Earth a sphere in true sense.

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Globes:

Living on the Earth’s surface it is not possible for us A Globe
to watch the entire Earth completely. So to get the
proper idea about the shape & size of the Earth and
to understand about the distribution of land and
water Globe helps us a lot. Globe is a spherical
shaped, wood or plastic made structural model of
the Earth. The world’s map is pasted there so one
can easily imagine the actual location of all the
continents and their countries, all the oceans, seas
and river etc. You may have seen globe in your
school.

Demerits or limitations of using a Globe:

1. It is difficult to carry.
2. Space is not enough to represent all the locations on the Earth.
3. Only provides half view of the Earth at any point of time.

Latitudes and Longitudes:

There are so many features on the Earth e.g., mountains, plateaus, plains, oceans,
rivers and seas; there are so many cities and villages too. How would you know the
exact locations of these places? For that, we need to draw some imaginary lines on the
globe. Some lines that start from the North pole and end at the South pole - are called
Longitudes. Some other imaginary lines that surround the globe from the East to the
West are called Latitudes. Longitudes and Latitudes criss-cross each other to form a
grid. The two end points at the North and at the South of the globe are known as
Poles. The north end point is called North Pole and the south end point is called
South Pole.

Latitudes:

The full circle imaginary lines running from the East to the West and parallel to each
other are known as Latitudes.

The latitude that divides the world into two equal halves is called Equator. It is also

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called the Great Circle. The northern half is called
the Northern Hemisphere and the southern half is
called Southern Hemisphere.

The two end points at the North and at the South of
the globe are known as Poles. The north end point
is called North Pole and the south end point is
called South Pole.

Features of Latitudes:

1. Latitudes are called parallels as they never cross
each other.

2. Latitudes are full circles. Starting from the
Equator at the middle (0 degree), these are drawn at every 1 degree interval
towards the North Pole (90° N) and South Pole (90° S).

3. Distance of any place on any particular latitude from the Equator is the same.
4. The longest latitude is Equator (since it is the greatest circle).
5. The length of the latitudes decreases when we move from the Equator towards the

poles.
6. There are total 181 latitudes. (90 in the northern hemisphere + 90 in the southern

hemisphere + Equator.)

Some important Latitudes:

0° Equator
23½° N Tropic of Cancer
23½° S Tropic of Capricorn
66½° N
66½° S Arctic Circle
Antarctic Circle

Climatic zones of the world:

There are three main climatic zones present in the world. The characteristics of these
three climatic zones are different. These differences have a great influence on food
habits, dresses, occupation of people as well as agricultural production.

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1. Hot or Torrid Zone: This is also known as equatorial zone. It lies between the
Tropic of Cancer (23½° N latitude) and Tropic of Capricorn (23½° S latitude). As this
zone receives more sunlight directly and vertically, this region is the hottest region
on the Earth. This region also experiences heavy rainfall.

2. Temperate Zones: These zones lie between the Tropic of Cancer (23½° N latitude)
and the Arctic Circle (66½° N latitude) in the Northern Hemisphere and also
between the Tropic of Capricorn (23½° S latitude) and the Antarctic Circle (66½° S
latitude) in the Southern Hemisphere. These zones receive slanting rays from the
sun throughout the year; also the distance from the Sun is larger than equatorial
zone. These regions have moderate to cold climate.

3. Cold Zones or Frigid Zones: The areas between the Arctic Circle (66½° N latitude)
and the North Pole in the Northern Hemisphere and between the Antarctic Circle
(66½° S latitude) and the South Pole in the Southern Hemisphere are called Cold
Zones or Frigid Zones. These zones receive very slanting rays from the sun. These
zones are the coldest zones on the Earth’s surface. Frequent snowfall occurs here,
and we can see large areas of permanent polar ice in these zones.

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Longitudes:

Imaginary semi-circle lines running from the
North pole to the South pole, each crossing all
the latitudes, are known as longitudes, also
known as meridians.

The longitude that goes through Greenwich, in
London (UK) is called the Prime Meridian (0°).
The longitude which is 180° east (or west) of the
Prime Meridian is called the International Date
Line (IDL) or the 180th meridian or antimeridian.
It is used to calculate the International Standard Time.

The Prime meridian and the International Date Line together forms a great circle,
vertically dividing the Earth into two hemispheres - the Eastern Hemisphere and the
Western Hemisphere.

Characteristics:

1. Longitudes are not parallel. They meet at poles.
2. Total number of longitudes is 360 (180 in Eastern Hemisphere & 180 in Western

Hemisphere).
3. All longitudes cross the latitudes at right angles (90°).
4. All longitudes are of the same length.
5. Longitudes are required for the calculation of correct time of a place.

How to locate a particular place?

Both the Latitude and the Longitude are required to locate or to find out a particular
place in the Earth. Suppose location of any place like Kolkata is written 22.5667° N and
88.3667° E. That means the cross section point of 22.5667° N latitude and 88.3667° E
longitude is the exact location of Kolkata on the surface of the Earth.

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Longitude and Time:

Since the Earth rotates from west to east at a steady rate of 360 degrees per solar day
(24 hours), or 15 degrees per hour in mean
solar time, there is a direct relationship
between the Time and the Longitudes.

There are two main concepts, related to
Latitude and Longitude, viz. Local Time and
Standard Time.

Local Time:

Local Time is what we use in our daily life.
Considering the highest point of the Sun on
a particular meridian the noon (12 noon) is
calculated. All the places situated on the
same meridian bear the same local time. The meridian of the west side of this
particular meridian will have the time before noon at the same time, and the meridian
towards the east of that particular meridian will have the time after 12 noon at the
same time.

The Earth rotates from west to east. The places located towards the east side of the
Prime Meridian (0°) will have sunlight earlier than the places located towards the west
side of the Prime Meridian. The same incident will happen in case of calculating the
time also.

Since the Earth rotates by 15 degrees in every hour (=60 minutes), thus the local time
differs at the rate of 4 minutes per 1 degree difference of meridian. The time of two
places located at two different meridians of 15° distance will differ by 1 hour (as 15° × 4
minutes = 60 minutes = 1 hour).

Example: When the time at the Prime Meridian is 12 noon, it will be 1 p.m. at 15°E
and 11 a.m. at 15°W meridian.

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Standard Time:

As there are more than one meridians that may cross the same country, problems may
occur in the case of calculating the time of two different places located at two different
meridians within the same country (e.g., Mumbai and Kolkata); thus two places in the
same country may show different time! To avoid this problem, a particular meridian
of that country is considered as the standard meridian and its time is calculated, to be
applied to all places in the entire country. That means the local time of that standard
meridian is followed across the country as the Standard Time of that country.

82 ½°E meridian is the standard meridian of India which crosses through Allahabad.
Local time of 82 ½°E meridian is followed across the India. This is called the Indian
Standard Time ( IST). The time at the Prime Meridian is called Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT) which is also the standard time in the United Kingdom.

IST is ahead of GMT by 5½ hours.

The countries with a very large east-west extension adopt more than one standard
time, e.g., the USA and the Russia use 4 and 11 time zones respectively.

The world has 24 Standard Time Zones, each of which has a west-to-east extent of 15°
of longitude. The boundary (west to east) has been adjusted with the political
boundaries of the countries falling within that Time Zone.

The latitudes and longitudes help us to locate a particular place on the map of the Earth

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 By the help of altitude of the Pole Star, latitude of any place in
Northern Hemisphere is calculated.

 By the help of altitude of Hadley's Octant, latitude of any place
in Southern Hemisphere is calculated.

 1° longitude = 4 minutes.
 A chronometer watch always follows the Greenwich Mean Time.

 The full circle imaginary lines running from east to west and
parallel to each other are known as latitudes.

 The semi-circle imaginary lines running from North Pole to
South Pole and each crossing all the latitudes are known as
Longitudes.

 Equator is also called Great Circle.
 Prime meridian (0° longitude) passes through Greenwich in UK.
 The International Date Line (180° longitude) is used to calculate the

International Standard Time.
 Total number of latitudes is 181.
 Total number of longitudes is 360.
 Longitudes are required for calculating the time of a place.

Latitudes -- The full circle imaginary lines running from the East to the
West and parallel to each other are known as Latitudes.
Equator -- The latitude that divides the world into two equal halves is
called Equator.
Longitudes -- The semi-circle imaginary lines running from the North
Pole to the South Pole and each cross all the latitudes are known as
Longitudes.

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TEST YOURSELF

A. Answer the following questions.

1. Define latitudes.

2. What is International Date Line?

3. Name the longest latitude.

4. What do you mean by Hemisphere?

5. What is chronometer?

B. Fill in the blanks.

1. Equator is also called .

2. Total number of longitudes is .

3. A.M. stands for .

4. Latitude of Antarctic Cycle .

5. The Prime meridian is passing through the .

C. Write whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Latitudes are required for time calculations of a place.

2. The two end points at the north and at the south of the globe are known as Poles.

3. Latitude of Kolkata is 22.5667° S.

4. Latitudes and Longitudes are nothing but imaginary lines.

5. Hadley's Octant is to calculate the longitude of Southern Hemisphere.

D. Answer the following questions in brief.

1. Write down the differences between Latitudes and Longitudes.

2. How can you find out the location of particular place in the globe?

3. Discuss the relationship between the Time and the Longitude in determining the
time of a particular place.

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Like the other planets in the Solar system, the Earth has also two motions, viz.
Rotation and Revolution. The Earth rotates or spins on its own axis from west
to east which is known as Rotation. The Axis is an imaginary line connecting the
North Pole and South Pole through the Centre of the Earth.

The Earth revolves around the Sun along a fixed elliptical pathway. This is called
Revolution and the elliptical pathway is known as the Earth's orbit. The
imaginary plane represented by the ellipse is called the Earth’s orbital plane.

Rotation of the Earth:

As stated above the Earth spins on its own axis during rotation. The axis is not exactly
vertical with respect to the orbital plane. It makes an angle of 66 ½° with the orbital
plane and 23 ½° with the vertical or perpendicular line. This tilt is called the
inclination of the Earth's axis.

Characteristics:

The speed of the rotation of the Earth is about 467 meter per second at the Equator. As
you can imagine, the speed decreases towards the Poles and is zero at the Poles.

The Earth completes one rotation in 24 hours which is called One Earth-Day.

Effects of Rotation:

1. Day and Night:

The rotation of the Earth is responsible for the day and night that occur daily in a
cyclical way. Each part of the Earth experiences day and night. During rotation of the
Earth, the Earth's surface that faces the Sun experiences day, while the other part
where sunlight cannot reach at that time, experiences the night. The length of the day
and night is equal at the Equator. Due to inclination of the Earth's axis, the polar areas
experience 6 months’ day and 6 months’ night.

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So the day follows the night and the night follows the day. Therefore, at any one
moment, half part of the Earth's surface faces the sunlight while the other half part is
in darkness. The circular edge dividing the daylight from the night is called the Circle of
Illumination.

a. Dawn and Dusk: As the Earth rotates from the West towards the East, the
dark part of the Earth gets a dim light before the sunrise which is known as
Dawn. A similar phenomenon occurs again at the time of sunset, which is
known as Dusk.

b. Coriollis Force: The Coriollis Force is the force that the rotation of the Earth
generates and on account of which the deflection in the direction of winds
and ocean currents causes. The deflection in the direction of winds and ocean
currents in the Northern Hemisphere is towards the right and in the Southern
Hemisphere is towards the left.

c. Tides: The gravitational pull of the Moon is responsible for the cause of
Tides in the sea and other large waterbodies on the Earth. Tides are
experienced twice a day because of the rotation of the Earth on its own Axis.
When the water rises high, it is termed as High Tide. When the water level
goes down, it is termed as Low Tide.

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Revolution of the Earth:
As discussed above, the Earth rotates on its own axis. The Earth also revolves around
the Sun from west to east following a particular imaginary elliptical path or orbit. This
motion of the Earth is called Revolution.
The Earth experiences the minimum distance from the Sun on 3rd January of every
year. This is known as Periapsis or Perihelion.
Six months later every year, on 4th July of every year the distance between the Earth
and the Sun becomes the maximum. This is known as Apoapsis or Aphelion.
The Earth revolves around the Sun at a speed of 30 kms per second and completes the
revolution in 365 days 48 minutes and 45 seconds - which is approximately 365¼
days. For our convenience, our calendars maintain only 365 days in a year. To make up
for this difference, every fourth year, one day (¼ X 4 = 1) is added to the calendar in the
month of February (29th February) . This year is called a Leap Year.

SUN

Change of Seasons:

Seasonal variations are caused mainly on account of the Revolution of the Earth
around the Sun. As stated above, the Orbit of the Earth is elliptical and its Axis is not
vertical. It makes an angle of 66½° with its orbit plane and 23½° with the vertical or
perpendicular line. Because of this tilt, during March to September, the northern

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hemisphere gets more direct rays (light and heat) from the sun - so it is Summer in
the northern hemisphere and Winter in the southern hemisphere.

Similarly, during September to March, the southern hemisphere gets more direct rays
(light and heat) from the sun - so it is Summer in the southern hemisphere and Winter
in the northern hemisphere. That is how seasons change around the year.

21st June: Summer Solstice

On 21st June every year, rays from the Sun fall vertically on the Tropic of Cancer and
the Northern Hemisphere experiences the longest day and the shortest night on this
day. This is when the duration of the day increases from 12 hours at the Equator to 24
hours at the North Pole and light lasts for 6 months at the North Pole. This time the
large portion of the Northern Hemisphere faces the Sun and as the sunrays stays for
longer duration, the Northern Hemisphere receives more heat and the season here is
the Summer. This situation is called Summer Solstice. This time the Southern
Hemisphere experiences the opposite climatic conditions. The Tropic of Capricorn gets
slanting rays from the Sun and the nights are longer than the days and the season in
the Southern Hemisphere is the Winter. During this period, night or darkness lasts for 6
months at the South Pole.

22nd December: Winter Solstice

On 22nd December rays from the Sun fall vertically on the Tropic of Capricorn and the
Southern Hemisphere experiences the longest day and the shortest night on this day.

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This is when the duration of the daylight becomes more than 24 hours at the place
between Antarctic Cycle and South Pole and light lasts for 6 months at the South Pole.
This time the large portion of the Southern Hemisphere faces the Sun and as the
sunrays stay for longer duration, the Southern Hemisphere receives more heat and the
season is called the Summer. This time the Northern Hemisphere experiences the
opposite climatic conditions. The Tropic of Cancer gets slanting rays from the Sun and
nights are longer than the day and the season in the Northern Hemisphere is the
Winter. This situation is called Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. During
this period, night or darkness lasts for 6 months at the North Pole.

23rd March: Spring Equinox

In this position, the sun shines vertically over the Equator. All the places of the Earth
experiences equal duration of day and night. At this time, it is the season of the Spring
in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

23rd September: Autumn Equinox

Again the sun shines vertically over the Equator. All the places of the Earth experiences
equal duration of day and night. At this time, it is the season of Autumn in the
Northern Hemisphere and the Spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

 Till the 16th century, it was believed that the Earth is flat and the
centre of the planetary system.

 Perihelion - The Earth experiences the minimum distance from the
Sun on 3rd January of every year. This is known as Perihelion.

 Aphelion - On 4th July of every year the distance between the Earth
and the Sun becomes the maximum. This is known as Aphelion.

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 Like the other planets the Earth has also two motions, viz.
Rotation and Revolution.

 The Earth rotates or spins on its own axis from west to
east which is known as Rotation.

 The Axis is an imaginary line connecting the North Pole and
South Pole through the Centre of the Earth.

 The Earth revolves around the Sun through a fixed elliptical
pathway. This is called Revolution and the elliptical pathway is
known as Orbit.

 The speed of the rotation of the Earth is about 467 meter per
second at Equator. The speed decreases towards Pole and at
the Poles the speed is zero.

 The Earth completes one rotation in 24 hours which is called
one Earth-Day.

 The Earth experiences the minimum distance from the Sun
on 3rd January of every year. This is known as Perihelion.

 On 4th July of every year the distance between the Earth and
the Sun becomes the maximum. This is known as Aphelion.

 On 21st June (Summer Solstice) rays from the Sun fall
vertically on the Tropic of Cancer and the Northern
Hemisphere experiences the longest day and the shortest
night on this day.

 On 22nd December (Winter Solstice) rays from the Sun fall
vertically on the Tropic of Capricorn and the Northern
Hemisphere experiences the shortest day and the longest
night on this day.

 The sun shines vertically over the Equator on 23rd March
(Spring Equinox) and on 23rd September (Autumn Equinox).

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TEST YOURSELF

A. Answer the following questions.

1. What do you mean by the Rotation of the Earth?
2. What do you mean by Dawn and Dusk?
3. What is Coriollis Force?
4. What do you mean by the Revolution of the Earth?
5. Define Perihelion and Aphelion.
6. What is Tide?
7. What do you mean by the Leap Year?
B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

1. The Earth's Axis makes an angle of with its orbit plane and with
the vertical or perpendicular line.

2. The Earth completes one rotation in 24 hours which is called. .

3. The Orbit of the Earth is and its Axis is not .

4. On 21st June rays from the Sun fall vertically on the .

5. The day of 23rd March of every year is called .

C. Write whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Every fourth year is added with one day in the month of December.
2. On 22nd December rays from the Sun fall vertically on the Tropic of Cancer.

3. The elliptical pathway through which the Earth revolves around the Sun is known as
Orbit.

4. Due to inclination of the Earth on its axis, the polar areas experience 6 months’ Day
and 6 months’ Night.

5. The edge dividing the daylight from the night is called the Circle of Illumination.

D. Write down the answers in brief.

1. Discuss briefly about the effects of Rotation of the Earth.
2. Write a short note on the effects of Revolution of the Earth.

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Maps:

Without visiting anywhere just by observing maps we can get ideas about all the places
of the Earth. The word ‘map’ comes from a Latin word ‘mappo’ that means napkin. A
collection of maps in the form of a book was first published by Gerardus Mercator, a
Flemish Map-maker.

Map is a drawing or representation on a flat surface of a region or the whole of the
Earth’s surface. Map represents the location of countries, rivers, seas, oceans,
mountain etc.

A collection of maps in the form of a book is called an atlas.

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Usefulness of Maps:

1. More useful than globe.
2. Easy to carry.
3. Provide a lot of information.
4. Easy to locate any particular place.
5. Mountains, Plateaus, plain, ocean, seas and river can be pointed on it.
6. Besides location a map provides a lot of information like rainfall, vegetation,

population etc.
7. Map can be made of different sizes so maps of larger size provide more detail

information.

Limitations of Maps:

1. Size, shapes and relative location of a place may not be accurate.
2. Error free map making of a curved surface cannot be possible.

Types of Maps:

Map provides various kinds of information. Depending on the kinds of information a
map provides, it can be categorized as follows:

Physical Map - It shows the physical landscape features of a place. This Map generally
shows things like mountains, rivers and lakes and water.

Political Map - It shows continents,
countries, states, cities and town with their
political boundaries.

Population Map - It shows the populations
distribution in all the states of a country.

Climatic Map - It shows information about
the climate of an area like rainfall
distribution, pressure belts and wind’s
direction.

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Road Map: These maps show major and minor highways and roads as well as things
like airports, locations of city and points of interest like parks, playgrounds and
monuments.
Besides these there are also other kinds of map indicating distribution of forest,
wildlife, minerals, crops and industries etc.

How to study a Map?

To study a map we need to understand the meaning of different colors, signs and
symbols used in a map. The following are the criteria that we need to remember while
studying a map.

Direction

To find out any particular location in the map, sometimes we need to study the map
from top to bottom, or sometimes from left to right. There are mainly four sides that
you need to know, to find out any particular location in the map. These are North
(N), South (S), East (E) and West (W). Hold a map in front of yourself and observe.
 The upper side or the top of the map indicates North.
 The lower side or the bottom of the map indicates South.
 The right side is the East.
 The left side indicates the West.

Besides these there are four sub-directions:
 Northeast (NE): between North and East
 Northwest (NW): between North and West
 Southeast (SE): between South and East
 Southwest (SW): between South and West

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Scale

As we know that a map is a graphical representation of the Earth and the Earth is very
big in size, so it is not possible to indicate the actual distance between two places. For
giving us an idea about distances on a map, the scale is used.

Scale is the ratio between the distance

(between two points) shown on the map and

the real distance (between the same two

points) on the Earth. Generally it is written A map’s scale
like 10cm:300km – this means the distance of

10 cm on the map represents an actual distance of 300 km on the Earth’s surface.

Sign and symbols

Previously we have discussed that a map gives us ideas
about the location of countries, lakes, rivers, seas,
oceans, bridges, mountain etc. but the space is not
sufficient enough to show all such features. A map
without indicating all these is also useless and hence,
some signs and symbols are required to indicate the
different features of the Earth. Some important signs
and symbols are given here.

Colours

Different colours are used to represent different items like mountain, water bodies,
plains etc. Some colours with their applications in maps are shown below:

Colours Field of applications

Green Plains, Lowlands
Yellow Desert
Brown
Orange Mountain and highlands
Blue Highlands
Deep Blue
Light Blue Water bodies (oceans, seas, river, lake etc.)
Deep water

Shallow Water

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 Atlas is the name of a book that contains a collection of maps.
 About 2600 years ago Babylonians first made a world map and it

is the oldest map found till date.

 Map is a drawing or representation on a flat surface of a
region or the whole of the Earth’s surface.

 Map represents the location of countries, rivers, seas,
oceans, mountain etc.

 A collection of maps in the form of a book is called an atlas.
 Depending on the kinds of information a map provides, it can

be categorized as Physical Map, Political Map, Population
Map, Climatic Map, Road Map etc.
 To study a map we need to understand the meaning of
different colours, signs and symbols used in a map.
 For giving us the ideas about the distances scale is used. Scale
is the ratio between the actual distance on the Earth and the
distance shown on the map.
 Some signs and symbols are used in a map to indicate the
different items of the Earth.
 Different kinds of colors are also used to represent different
kinds of items like mountain, water bodies, plains etc.

 Atlas - A collection of maps in the form of a book is called an atlas.

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TEST YOURSELF

A. Answer the following questions.

1. What is a Map?

2. Who first published a collection of maps?

3. What is the utility of a political map of a country?

4. Why a scale is maintained in every map?

5. Which colour is used to denote a desert area in a map?

B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

1. A collection of maps in the form of a book is called an .

2. The word ‘map’ comes from a Latin word .

3. first made a world map.

4. To denote Mountain and highlands in a map colour is used.

5. A map is more useful than .

C. Write whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Error free map making of a curved surface can be possible.

2. Light Blue colour is used to denote deep water in a map.

3. Gerardus Mercator was a Flemish Map-maker.

4. A map provides a lot of information like rainfall, vegetation, population etc.

5. Maps of larger size provide more detail information.

D. Write down the answers in brief.

1. Discuss briefly about the limitation and usefulness of using maps.

2. Discuss briefly about the types of map.

3. How to study a Map? Discuss.

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As discussed in the previous chapter the Earth is the only planet where life exists.
There are four inter-connected geo-spheres like lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere
and atmosphere which are responsible for the existence of life in the Earth. The realms
of these four geo-spheres are discussed here.

Lithosphere:

The upper surface of the Earth consisting of solid and rocky materials which is the
home to all living organisms from human to microbes is known as the Lithosphere.
29% of the Earth’s surface is covered with solid materials and 71% is the water bodies
mainly Oceans. All the Oceans are inter-connected so everywhere in the world the sea
level is the same. The elevation of the Earth’s surface is calculated from the sea level.
The highest point on the Earth’s surface is
the Mount Everest which is 8848 meter
above the sea level while the Mariana
Trench in the Pacific Ocean is the deepest
point which is 11034 meter under the sea
level.

The world's main continuous expanses of land are called continents. There are seven
continents, e.g. Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and
Antarctica.

Hydrosphere:

Water is one of the most important
elements for the living beings.

Hydrosphere includes all the water bodies
like the surface water (Oceans, Seas, Lakes,
Ponds), the underground water, the frozen
water (ice caps, polar ice, ice in soil i.e.,
Permafrost), water vapour in the

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atmosphere etc. Water may be present in any state like Solid in ice, liquid in surface
water bodies and vapour in clouds.
71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water bodies. 3% of these water bodies is
fresh water.

Significance of the Hydrosphere:

a. Oceans influence the temperature and climatic conditions of the world.
b. Oceans are home to large number of marine species.
c. Water cycle is a very important part of the ecosystem.
d. We get salt, chemicals and minerals from the Oceans also.

Atmosphere:

The Atmosphere means the realm of the air. Air is the layer of gases surrounding the
Earth's solid matter. In another word, air is the combination of several gases like
Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (21%) and other gases(1%) including Carbon dioxide(0.03%). It
extends thousands of kilometres from the Earth’s surface. The more the height
increases the more the density of the air decreases.

Composition of the Earth’s Atmosphere

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Layers of the Earth's atmosphere:

There are five layers of the Earth's atmosphere, viz.

a. Troposphere: It is the first layer above the Earth’s surface and is the most
important from the point of view of life on Earth. The air is dense here. This

belt contains about ¾th of the total molecular mass of the atmosphere. From

the surface of the Earth, it extends upto 8 km at the Poles and 16 km at the
Equator. All weather phenomena occurs in this layer.

b. Stratosphere: It is the second layer which is characterized by uniform
horizontal distribution of temperature. It extends upto 50 km from the
surface. Its thickness is the highest at the Poles. A part of the stratosphere is
known as Ozonosphere where the concentration of ozone is very high and this
absorbs the harmful UV rays of the Sun and act as a protective shield for the
living beings. This layer is ideal for flying of jet aircrafts.

c. Mesosphere: It extends about 80 km above the Earth’s surface. It is the
coolest layer of the atmosphere.

d. Thermosphere: It is also known as
Ionosphere and it extends upto
600 km above the Earth’s surface.
The auroras take place in the
Ionosphere. It contains electrically
charged ions that reflect the radio
waves back to the Earth and thus
makes the radio communication
possible.

e. Exosphere: It is the outer most
layer of the atmosphere and it extends upto 1000 km. Hydrogen and Helium
are two important gases of this layer.

Significance of the Atmosphere:

a. The Atmosphere acts as a protecting shield by absorbing the UV solar
radiation which is very much harmful for the living beings.

b. It plays a great role in controlling the temperature of the day and night.

c. Water vapour in the atmosphere is essential for rain and snow.

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d. Nitrogen increases the soil fertility.
e. Carbon dioxide is essential for the process of Photosynthesis in plants.
f. Oxygen is the most important element for breathing by Living beings.

Biosphere:

'Bio' means life so all the physical environment where life exists is under Biosphere.
Land, water and air are the parts of the Biosphere. More specifically Plant kingdom
and Animal kingdom constitute the Biosphere. Both are required for maintaining
ecosystem in the Earth. The biosphere extends upto 8 km above the Earth’s surface
and upto 8 km below the Earth’s surface.

 Saltwater masses that are smaller than the oceans are called
seas.

 The upper surface of the Earth consisting of solid and
rocky materials which is the home to all living organisms
from human to microbes is known as the Lithosphere.

 29% of the Earth’s surface is covered with solid materials and
71% is the water bodies mainly Oceans.

 The elevation of the Earth’s surface is calculated from the sea
level.

 Hydrosphere includes all the water bodies like the surface
water (Oceans, Seas, Lakes, Ponds), the underground water,

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the frozen water (ice caps, polar ice, ice in soil i.e.,
Permafrost), water vapour in the atmosphere etc.
 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water bodies. 3% of
this water bodies is fresh water.
 The Atmosphere means the realm of the air. Air is the layer of
gases surrounding the Earth's atmosphere.
 Air is the combination of several gases like Nitrogen (78%),
Oxygen (21%) and other gases (1%) including Carbon dioxide
(0.03%).
 'Bio' means life so all the physical environment where life
exists is under Biosphere. Land, water and air are the parts of
the Biosphere.
 More specifically Plant kingdom and Animal kingdom
constitute the Biosphere.

 Lithosphere -- The upper surface of the Earth consisting of solid
and rocky materials which is the home to all living organisms from
human to microbes is known as the Lithosphere.

 Hydrosphere -- Hydrosphere includes all the water bodies like the
surface water (Oceans, Seas, Lakes, Ponds), the underground
water, the frozen water (ice caps, polar ice, ice in soil i.e.,
Permafrost), water vapour in the atmosphere etc.

 Atmosphere -- The Atmosphere means the realm of the air. Air is
the layer of gases surrounding the Earth's atmosphere.

 Biosphere -- 'Bio' means life so all the physical environment
where life exists is under Biosphere. Land, water and air are the
parts of the Biosphere.

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TEST YOURSELF

A. Answer the following questions.

1. What do you mean by geo-spheres?
2. Define Lithosphere.
3. What is the highest point on the Earth’s surface?
4. Write down the percentage of fresh water present on the Earth’s surface.
5. Define Hydrosphere.
B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

1. % of the Earth’s surface is covered with solid materials and
% is the water bodies mainly Oceans.

2. Elevation of the Earth’s surface is calculated from the .

3. The in the Ocean is the deepest point on the Earth.

4. We get salt, and from the Oceans.

5. absorbs the harmful UV rays of the Sun and act as a protective shield
for the living beings.

C. Write whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Nitrogen decreases the soil fertility.
2. The auroras take place in the Exosphere.
3. Mesosphere is the hottest layer of the Atmosphere.
4. Thermosphere contains electrically charged ions that reflect the radio waves back

to the Earth and thus makes the radio communication possible.
5. Hydrogen and Helium are two important gases of the Exosphere.
D. Write down the answers in brief.

1. Discuss the significance of the Hydrosphere.
2. Write a short note on the Lithosphere.
3. Discuss about the different layers and significance of the Atmosphere.

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The Continents of the World:

The large continuous land masses are called
continents. There are seven continents in the
world, viz. Asia, Africa, Europe, North America,
South America, Australia and Antarctica.

Asia:

It is the largest continent comprising of about ⅓ of the total landmass of the Earth.

It is the most populous continent in the world. China and India, the two most populous
countries of the world are situated in this continent.

The highest mountain ranges of the world the Himalayas with its highest peak the
Mount Everest (8848 meters), Tibet, the
highest plateau of the world as also the
Dead Sea (418 m below the sea level,
lowest part of the Earth) are situated in this
continent.

Indus and Ganga, the main rivers which
were responsible for the establishment of
Indus Valley Civilization are also blowing
through this continent.

The continent of Europe and Asia joined together and formed a long continuous land
masses named as Eurasia. The Ural Mountain, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea
separate these two continents.

Africa:

It is the second largest continent of the world. The Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of
Gibraltar separate this continent from Europe and the Suez Canal separates it from
Asia. The Equator passes through the middle of this continent. The largest part of the

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continent of Africa lies in the Northern
Hemisphere. The Topic of Cancer and the Topic of
Capricorn also pass through Africa. The longest
river in the world, the river Nile and the largest
desert in the world, Sahara are also in Africa.
Besides desert, a large part of Africa is covered
with dense forest.

Europe:

Europe is located in the west of Asia. About 7% of
the land masse of the world is covered by this
continent. Europe is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean to the North, the Mediterranean

Sea to the South and Atlantic Ocean to the West.
The Greenwich meridian passes through this
continent. United Kingdom, Germany, France and
Italy are some of the most important countries of
the Europe.

North America:

It is the third largest continent of the world. It is
surrounded by the Arctic Ocean in the North, the
Atlantic Ocean in the East and the Pacific Ocean in the
West. North America is connected with South America by
a narrow stretch of land called Isthmus of Panama.
The most developed countries of the world - the USA and
Canada, are located here. Greenland is in North America.
The most important rivers of North America are
Mississippi and Missouri. The deepest canyon of the
world, the Grand Canyon is located in North America.

South America:

South America is the fourth largest continent lies in the Southern Hemisphere. It is
surrounded by Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean in the East and the West respectively.

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Amazon basin, the largest river basin is located here.
Andes, the world's longest mountain is located here. Brazil,
Argentina and Chile are some of important countries of the
continent of South America.

Australia:

Australia is the smallest continent of
the world. It is surrounded by seas
and ocean. It is located in the Southern Hemisphere. The
famous Great Barrier Reef is in Australia. The Kangaroos are
the mostly found animal of this continent.

Antarctica:

Antarctica is situated in the Southern most part of the Southern Hemisphere. It is
covered with snow and ice. The weather is very cold here. Many countries have
established research stations here. Maitri and Dakshin Gangotri are the two research
stations established by India. Penguins, whales and seals are generally found here.

Oceans:

There are four major Oceans on the Earth, viz.

1. The Pacific Ocean:

It is the largest Ocean covering ⅔rd of the Earth’s surface. The Pacific is the deepest

ocean in the world too. It is bounded by Asia, Australia, North America and South
America. The Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean is the deepest point (11034 meters
under the sea level).

The mountain ranges with a large number of active volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean are
known as the 'Fiery ring of the Pacific'.

2. The Atlantic Ocean:

In size it is half of the Pacific Ocean and covers ⅙th of the Earth’s surface. The Atlantic

Ocean is shaped like English alphabet 'S'. The South and North America lie to the West
and Europe and Africa lie to the East of this Ocean.

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The Atlantic Ocean is the world's busiest Ocean due to presence of a large number of
natural ports and harbours and this Ocean also supports International trade to a great
extent.
3. The Arctic Ocean: It lies between Arctic cycle and the North Pole. It is the

northernmost ocean. This ocean remains frozen for most of the time of a year.
4. The Indian Ocean: It is the third largest Ocean

covering 20% of the surface water and named
after a country (India). It is bounded by Asia, Africa
and Australia.
The Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea are the parts
of the Indian Ocean. It is triangular in shape.

 Valley is a low-laying area lying between two mountains or hills
formed due to erosion caused by a river.

 Continents -- The large continuous land masses are called
continents.

 Ocean – The Huge water bodies surrounding the continents are
called Oceans.

 Isthmus of Panama -- North America is connected with South
America by a narrow stretch of land called Isthmus of Panama.
Fiery ring of the Pacific -- The mountain ranges with a large
number of active volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean are known as the
'Fiery ring of the Pacific'.

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 The large continuous land masses are called continents.
There are seven continents in the world, viz. Asia, Africa,
Europe, North America, South America, Australia and
Antarctica.

 Asia is the largest continent comprising of about ⅓ of the
total landmass of the Earth.

 Asia is the most populous continent in the world. China and
India, the two most populous countries of the world are
situated in this continent.

 Africa is the second largest continent of the world.
 North America is the third largest continent of the world.
 North America is connected with South America by a narrow

stretch of land called Isthmus of Panama.
 South America is the fourth largest continent lies in the

Southern Hemisphere.
 Australia is the smallest continent of the world. It is

surrounded by seas and ocean.
 Antarctica is situated in the southernmost part of the

Southern Hemisphere. It is covered with snow and ice.

 The Pacific Ocean is the largest Ocean covering ⅔rd of the

Earth’s surface. The Pacific is the deepest ocean in the world
too.
 In size the Atlantic Ocean is half of the Pacific Ocean and it

covers ⅙th of the Earth’s surface. The Atlantic Ocean is shaped

like the English alphabet 'S'.
 The Arctic Ocean lies between Arctic cycle and the North Pole.

It is the northernmost ocean.
 The Indian Ocean is the third largest Ocean covering 20% of

the surface water and named after a country (India).

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TEST YOURSELF

A. Answer the following questions.

1. What do you mean by continents?
2. Name the most populous continent in the world.
3. Name the two most important rivers of North America.
4. Where the Great Barrier Reef is situated?
5. What is the name of the largest desert in the world? Where it is situated?
B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

1. North America is connected with South America by a narrow stretch of land

called .

2. The Topic of Cancer and the Topic of Capricorn also pass through .

3. and separate the continent of Africa from Europe.

4. The Greenwich meridian passes through the continent.

5. Kangaroos are the mostly found animal of .

C. Write whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Maitri and Dakshin Gangotri are the two research stations established in the
continent of Asia by India.

2. The Pacific Ocean is the world's busiest Ocean due to presence of a large number of
natural ports and harbours.

3. The Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea are the parts of the Pacific Ocean.

4. Australia is the smallest continent of the world.

5. The mountain ranges with a large number of active volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean
are known as the 'Fiery ring of the Pacific'.

D. Write down the answers in brief.

1. Write short notes on the continent of Asia and Africa.

2. Discuss briefly about the Oceans on the Earth.

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The land surface is not the same in every parts of the world. Depending on the
elevation from the sea level the land surfaces are categorized as Mountain, Plateau
and Plain.

Mountains:

A Mountain or hill is a highly elevated land
than the surroundings. Hills are lower than
the Mountains. Most of the mountains are
arranged in a series are called ranges e.g.,
the Alps in Europe, the Rockies in North
America and the Andes in South America.
Parallel ranges are also seen. The
Himalayas in India and Nepal are parallel
ranges.

The top of the mountain looks like a conical structure which is called the Peak.

According to their age Mountains are
classified as Old Mountain (e.g., The
Aravallis in India and Appalachians in the
USA) and Young Mountain (e.g., The
Himalaya in India, the Alps in Europe, the
Rockies in North America and the Andes in
South America).

The peaks of the young mountain are
generally sharp but the peaks of the old mountains are relatively lower and round
shaped due to wind and water erosions for long years.

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Mountains are of three types, viz.

1. Fold Mountain:

They are formed when the rocks of the crust of the Earth get folded due to the
forces of compression during series of earthquakes. The Fold Mountains are
generally very high with sharp peaks.

The Himalayas in India and Nepal, the Alps in Europe, the Rockies in North America
and the Andes in South America are some the examples of Fold Mountains.

2. Block Mountain:

These are formed when great blocks of the Earth's crust get raised or lowered.
Cracks or faults on the Earth’s surface are formed during formation of such
mountains. The land between two parallel faults either raises forming Block
Mountain or Horst, or subsides into a depression termed as Rift Valley or Graben.

Block Mountains have a steep slope and a flat top.

The examples are the Black forest in Germany and the Vosges in France.

3. Volcanic Mountain:

These are formed as a result of the
volcanic eruption and the outflow of
lava through crater, the opening.

Some of the Volcanic Mountains are Mount Fujiyama
Cotopaxi in Andes, Vesuvius and Etna
in Italy, Fujiyama in Japan and
Kilimanjaro in Africa.

Significance of the Mountains:

1. Mountains have a great impact on climate. They help in obstructing clouds and
bringing rain.

2. They protect the countries from hot and cold wind.

3. Many perennial rivers originate from the glaciers of the mountains.

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4. Mountains are the sources of many natural resources like fruit, vegetables, flowers,
nuts , honey, lac, etc.

5. A variety of birds and animals are found in mountainous regions.

6. The natural beauty of the mountains attracts the tourists.

Plateaus:

A Plateau is an highland with flat or rugged surface. It may have steep slopes in one or
more sides. A Plateau looks like a Table and that is why it is called tableland. The height
of the Plateaus may vary from 300 meter to thousands meter above the sea level. The
plateau of Tibet (above 5000 meter above the sea level) is the highest plateau in the
world.

The Tibetan plateau is called the 'Roof of
the World'. The Deccan plateau is one of
the oldest plateaus in the world, and
extends over thousands of kilometers is
located in India. The Ladakh plateau is also
located in India.

Types of Plateaus:

1. Intermontane Plateau: These are the highest and largest plateaus and surrounded
by mountains. The Plateau of Tibet in Asia and the Mexican Plateau in North
America are the examples of Intermontane Plateaus.

2. Dissected Plateau: When a plateau area is severely eroded due to the action of
water and air (for a long years) and is totally separated from the adjacent upland by
a river which is blowing through the eroded low - laying lands between two uplands
is known as the Dissected Plateau. Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats of India are
Dissected Plateaus.

3. Lava Plateaus: These are created due to emission of lava from the volcanic
eruption through the crater and spread thickly over an extensive area. The Deccan
Plateau in India is considered as a Lava Plateau.

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Significance of the Plateaus:

1. Most of the Plateaus are rich in minerals such as iron-ore and gold etc.
2. Plateaus have better means of transport as compared to the mountains.

Plains:

The flat low-laying land of the height of 100 to 200 meters above the sea level is known
as Plain. Plains are generally formed over millions of years by rivers, which carry and
deposit a large volume of silt, sand and pebbles in low - laying areas to form a plain.
The Gangetic Plain in India and the Nile Basin in Africa are the examples of plains.

Significance of the Plains:

1. The soil in the plains is very fertile, promoting large scale agriculture of all kinds of
food crops.

2. Plains are densely populated.

3. Plains are ideal to set up industries,
factories and offices.

4. Better networks of Roadways, Railways, Plains: fertile lands suitable for agriculture
Ports and Harbours are found in the
Plain areas.

 The surface of the Earth is constantly changing even today, due
to internal (tectonic) and external (gradational) forces.

 Tibetan Plateau (The Roof of the World) encompasses an area
greater than Western Europe. Its glaciers provide water for more
than half of Asia, and scientists are concerned about the effects
climate change might have on the glaciers that cover the
plateau.

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 A Mountain or hill is a highly elevated land than the
surroundings. Hills are lower than the Mountains.

 Most of the mountains are arranged in a series are called
ranges.

 Fold Mountains are formed when the rocks of the crust of
the Earth get folded due to the forces of compression during
series of earthquakes.

 Block Mountains are formed when great blocks of the
earth's crust get raised or lowered. Cracks or faults on the
Earth’s surface are formed during formation of such
mountains.

 Volcanic Mountains are formed as a result of the volcanic
eruption and the outflow of lava through crater, the opening.

 A Plateau is an highland with flat or rugged surface. It may
have steep slopes in one or more sides.

 A Plateau looks like a Table and that is why it is called
tableland.

 Intermontane Plateaus are the highest and largest plateaus
and surrounded by mountains.

 When a plateau area is severely eroded due to the action of
water and air (for a long years) and is totally separated from
the adjacent upland by a river which is blowing through the
eroded low - laying lands between two uplands is known as
the Dissected Plateau.

 Lava Plateaus are created due to emission of lava from the
volcanic eruption through the crater and spread thickly over
an extensive area.

 The flat low - laying land of the height of 100 to 200 meters
above the sea level is known as Plain.

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TEST YOURSELF

A. Answer the following questions.

1. What do you mean by Hills?

2. What is Peak?

3. Write down the classification of Mountains with suitable examples.

4. Write an example of Block Mountain and a Lava Plateau?

5. How the Plains are generally formed?

B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words.

1. The Himalayas in and are parallel ranges.

2. The peaks of the young mountain are generally .

3. The Mountains are generally very high with sharp peaks.

4. An example of Volcanic Mountain is .

5. is called the 'Roof of the World'.

C. Write whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Block Mountains are generally very high with sharp peaks.

2. The Ladakh plateau is located in the southern India.

3. Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats of India are Dissected Plateaus.

4. The Rockies in North America and the Andes in South America are some the
examples of Fold Mountains.

5. Most of the Plateaus are rich in minerals.

D. Write down the answers in brief.

1. Define Mountains. Discuss the types and significance of Mountains.

2. What do you mean by Plateau? Write down its types and significance.

3. Write a short note on the Plains.

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Our motherland India lies in the continent of Asia. In the southern part of this
continent India is located. India along with its neighbouring countries like Bangladesh,
Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan etc. forms Indian sub-continent.

The Geographical location of India favours the diversity in the field of culture, climate
and environment.

Diversity in language, food habits, religions, customs and festivals are also seen in
India.

Size and Location:

India, the seventh largest country in the world covers an area of 3.28 million square
kilometer. India is located mainly in Northern and Eastern Hemisphere. It lies between

8°4' N and 37°6' N latitudes and 68°7' E and
97°25' E longitudes.

Pamir Knot is the northernmost point and
Kanyakumari is the southernmost point of
Indian mainland. The southernmost point
of India is the Indira point located in
Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands. The
Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the
Indian Ocean are located in the East, South
and West side of India respectively. Due to
presence of these three water bodies our
country has a peninsular shape and so it is
called Indian peninsular.

The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of India. The extent of India from north
to south is about 3200 km and from east to west is about 2900 km.

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India is divided into 29 States and 7 Union Territories. Delhi is the national capital of
India. Rajasthan is the largest state of India. Goa is the smallest state.

Neighbouring Countries of India:

There are seven neighbouring countries of India, viz.
a. In the East Bangladesh, Myanmar;
b. In the North Nepal, Bhutan and China
c. In the West Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Physical Division of India:

The landmass of India can be broadly divided into the following physical regions:
a. The Northern Mountains
b. The Northern Plains
c. The Great Indian Desert
d. The Great Peninsular Plateau
e. The Coastal Plains
f. Islands

The Northern Mountains:

The Northern Mountains stretches from
Kashmir in the West to Assam in the East. It
is about 2500 km long and as if it separates
India from the rest of the Asia.
The Karakoram Range is the northernmost
range which lies between the Pamir knot
and the Indus River. Mount Godwin Austin
or Mount K2 (8611 meter) is the highest
peak of the Karakoram Range. It is the
highest peak in India.

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The young fold Mountains, the Himalayas lies to the south of the Karakoram Range
and it stretches from the Indus River in the West to the Brahmaputra in the East. There
are three distinct parallel mountain ranges are found, viz. A) Himadri B) Himachal
C) Shivaliks, and D) The Purvachal

A. The Himadri or the Greater Himalayas:

This is the northernmost range. Its average elevation extends upto 6000 meter. The
Mount Everest (8848 m), the highest peak
in the world lies in this range in Nepal.
Mount Kanchenjunga (also spelt as
Kangchenjunga - 8598 m), Mount
Dhaulagiri (8172 m), Mount Nanga Parbat
(8126 m), Nanda Devi (7817 m) etc. are
some of the peaks that lie in this range.
The Gangotri glaciers and the Yamunotri
glaciers from where the River Ganga and
the River Yamuna were originated

respectively are located in this range.

B. The Himachal or the Lesser Himalayas:

It lies at the south of this mountain. The
average height of this mountain is 3700-
4500 m. Its important ranges are Pir Panjal,
Nag Tibba, Mussoorie etc.

Several beautiful valleys like the Kashmir
Valley and Kathmandu Valley are found in
this range.

Some important hill resorts of this range
are Shimla, Ranikhet, Mussoorie, Kulu, Manali, Nainital and Darjeeling.

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C. The Shivaliks or the Outer Himalayas:

This is the southernmost range lies between the Lesser Himalayas and the Plains. It is
the newest range. Duns, types of flat longitudinal valleys are found in this range.
Dehradun is an example of such Duns.

D. The Purvachal:

The mountains of the northeast region are called Purvachal. They are of medium
height (average 3000 m).

Garo, Kashi, Jaintia, Patkai Bum, Mizo Hills, Naga Hills and Lushai Hills are some of
the hills and ranges of the Purvachal.

The Northern Plains:

The Northern Plains are a large low - laying,
flat and a very fertile region. This region is
densely populated. This extends from the
south of the Himalayas to the north of the
Peninsula. This is formed by the alluvial
deposits of mainly the three rivers, viz.
Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra and their
several tributaries.

A major part of the Indus Basin lies in Pakistan in northwest. The River Indus along with
its five tributaries Jhelam, Chenab, Beas, Ravi and Satluj forms this plain in Punjab.

The Ganga, the longest river in India (over
2500 km) with its longest tributary, the
Yamuna which joins the Ganga at
Allahabad forms the Gangetic basin. The
largest part of the Northern Plains is
formed by the depositional work of the
River Ganga. The River Ganga originating
from the Gangotri glaciers of the
Himalayan range passes through the several states of India. Gomati, Ghaghra, Gandak

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and Kosi are some of the tributaries that meet the Ganga at several points.

The river Brahmaputra forms the
Brahmaputra basin which is comparatively
small in size. It lies in Assam.

The Ganga and the Brahmaputra rivers
form the world's biggest triangular shaped
delta named Sundarbans.

The Great Indian Desert:

The Thar Desert in Rajasthan lies in the northwest of the Aravalli Range. The area is
rocky and sandy and the land is arid with very little annual rainfall. The region is hot
and dry. Being a water scarce area the region is devoid of vegetation. In some places
some thorny bushes may be seen. The
river Luni is the only natural source of
water here.

The Great Peninsular Plateau:

The Great Peninsular Plateau lies to the
south of the Northern Plains. This is
roughly triangular in shape. This region is rich in minerals. The Aravalli Mountains, the
Vindhya Mountains lie in the Northern section of this plateau. The rivers Narmada and
Tapi which flow westward into the Arabian Sea also lie in the Northern section of this

plateau region. This region is known as
Malwa Plateau. The Chota Nagpur Plateau
which extends from the Aravalli Range in
the west and Jharkhand in the east merges
with this Malwa Plateau. The Southern part
of Narmada as well as the Great Peninsular
Plateau is known as Deccan Plateau. It is
triangular in shape. There are several rivers
like Godavari (the longest river of the South India), Mahanadi, Krisna and Kaveri
flowing to the east into the Bay of Bengal. The black soil of this region is most suitable
for cotton cultivation.

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The Plateau region is bounded by the Western Ghats that run along the coast of the
Arabian Sea and the Eastern Ghats that run along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

The Coastal Plains:

There are two Coastal Plains of Deccan Plateau of India, viz. Western Coastal plain and
Eastern Coastal Plains. The total length of the coastal plain of mainland India is 6100
Km. It becomes 7575 km if we add the coastal areas of Lakshadweep and Andaman and
Nicobar group of islands to it.

1. The Western Coastal Plain:

The Northern part of the Western Coastal plain is called Konkan and the Southern
part of the Western Coastal plain is called Malabar Coast in Kerala. This coast is very
fragile and forms natural harbours.

2. The Eastern Coastal Plains:

The Northern part of the Eastern Coastal Plains is known as North Sircar and the
further south of the coastline is called Coromondal Coast. There are several lakes
along this coast such as Chilka Lake in Orissa.
The Coastal Plains are very fertile and densely populated. Godavari, Mahanadi, Krisna
and Kaveri are some of the rivers found in the Eastern coastal plains of India.

Islands:

There are two groups of islands viz.
Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar
group of islands. Lakshadweep lies in the
Arabian Sea and looks like a horse toe in
shape and so it is also called Atolls. It is a
coral island. Laccadeep and Minicoy
islands are parts of the Lakshadweep.

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Andaman and Nicobar group of islands lies in the Bay of Bengal and it is volcanically
active. There are near about 572 islands present in the Andaman and Nicobar group of
islands.

Exotic scenic beauty of the islands of India

 Several glaciers are also found in the mountain ranges. Siachen
and Boltoro of the Karakoram ranges are the examples of
glaciers.

 Pamir Knot is the northernmost point and Kanyakumari
is the southernmost point of Indian mainland.

 The southernmost point of Indian territory is the Indira
point located in Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands.

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