CBSE Class 7 Geography Chapter 1: Environment

Environment

• The environment is the combination of natural and human-made phenomena that surround any living organism.
• It includes the place, people, things, and nature.

Natural Environment

• The natural environment comprises land, water, air, plants, and animals.
• Lithosphere is the solid crust or the hard top layer of the earth.
• It is made up of rocks and minerals and covered by a thin layer of soil.
• Lithosphere is an irregular surface with various landforms such as mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys, etc.
• It provides forests, grasslands for grazing, land for agriculture, and human settlements.
• It is also a source of mineral wealth.
• Hydrosphere is the domain of water and comprises various sources of water and different types of water bodies like rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, etc.
• Atmosphere is the thin layer of air that surrounds the earth.
• It protects us from the harmful rays and scorching heat of the sun.
• It consists of a number of gases, dust, and water vapor.
• Changes in the atmosphere produce changes in the weather and climate.
• Biosphere or the living world is a narrow zone of the earth where land, water, and air interact with each other to support life.

Ecosystem

• An ecosystem is a large community of living organisms such as plants, animals, and microbes in a particular area.
• The living and physical components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.
• Ecosystems can be found in large rainforests, grasslands, deserts, mountains, lakes, rivers, oceans, and even small ponds.

Human Environment

• Human beings interact with the environment and modify it according to their needs.
• Humans adapted themselves according to their natural surroundings and fulfilled their requirements from the nature around them.
• As time went by, needs became more varied, and humans learned to grow crops, domesticate animals, and lead a settled life.
• The wheel was invented, surplus food was produced, the barter system emerged, trade started, and commerce developed.
• Industrial revolution enabled large-scale production, transportation became faster, and information revolution made communication easier and speedy across the world.

Important Questions

• The four major types of landforms present in our environment are mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains.
• Lithosphere is the rocky outer part of the Earth, made up of the brittle crust and the top part of the upper mantle.
• The Biosphere makes up the portion of the Earth where life exists.