CBSE Class 7 Geography Chapter 1: Environment

Study Notes

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

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.

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 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.

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.