The surface of the earth is a complex zone in which three main components of the

environment meet, overlap and interact. These components are – Lithosphere, atmosphere,
hydrosphere.
The Biosphere is the narrow zone where we find land, water and air together, which contains
all forms of life.

In the Greek language, Lithos means Stone; Atmos means Vapour; Hudor means
Water; and Bios means Life.
LITHOSPHERE
The solid portion of the earth is called the Lithosphere. It comprises the rocks of the
earth’s crust and the thin layers of soil that contain nutrient elements which sustain organisms.
There are two main divisions of the earth’s surface. The large landmasses are known as the
continents and the huge water bodies are called the ocean basins. All the oceans of the world are
connected with one another. But the Land masses are not connected with one another except
Europe, Asia, and Africa. The level of seawater remains the same everywhere. Elevation of land is
measured from the level of the sea, which is taken as zero.
The highest mountain peak Mt. Everest is 8,848 metres above the sea level. The
greatest depth of 11,022 metres is recorded at Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
Edmund Hillary (New Zealand) and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (India) were the first men to
climb the highest mountain peak Mt. Everest on the planet earth on 29th May, 1953. Junko Tabei
(Japan) was the first woman to reach the summit on 16th May, 1975. The first Indian woman to
climb the highest peak on 23rd May, 1984 was Bachendri Pal.
Continents:
There are seven major continents. These are separated by large water bodies. These
continents are – Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica.
The greater part of the land mass lies in the Northern Hemisphere.
Asia is the largest continent. It covers about one third of the total land area of the earth.
The continent lies in the Eastern Hemisphere. The Tropic of Cancer passes through this continent.
Asia is separated from Europe by the Ural mountains on the west. The combined landmass of
Europe and Asia is called the Eurasia (Europe + Asia).
Europe is much smaller than Asia. The continent lies to the west of Asia. The Arctic
Circle passes through it. It is bound by water bodies on three sides.
Africa is the second largest continent after Asia. The Equator or 00 latitude runs almost
through the middle of the continent. A large part of Africa lies in the Northern Hemisphere. Africa is
the only continent through which the Tropic of Cancer, the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn
pass. The Sahara Desert, the world’s largest hot desert, is located in Africa. The continent is
bound on all sides by oceans and seas. The world’s longest river the Nile, flows through Africa.
The Equator, the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn pass in the map of Africa. North
America is the third largest continent of the world. It is linked to South America by a very narrow
strip of land called the Isthmus of Panama. The continent lies completely in the Northern and
Western Hemisphere. Three oceans surround this continent. Can you name these oceans? North
America is bounded by Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Pacific Ocean.
South America lies mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. The Andes, world’s longest
mountain range, runs through its length from north to south. South America has the world’s largest
river, the Amazon.
 Australia is the smallest continent that lies entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. It is
surrounded on all sides by the oceans and seas. It is called an island continent.

Antarctica, completely in the Southern Hemisphere, is a huge continent. The South Pole
lies almost at the centre of this continent. As it is located in the South Polar Region, it is
permanently covered with thick ice sheets. There are no permanent human settlements. Many
countries have research stations in Antarctica. India also has research stations there. These are
named as Maitri and Dakshin Gangotri.
HYDROSPHERE
The earth is called the blue planet. More than 71 per cent of the earth is covered with
water and 29 per cent is with land. Hydrosphere consists of water in all its forms. 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. More than 97% of the Earth’s 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
icesheets 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’ there is shortage of water.

Oceans:
Oceans are the major part of hydrosphere. They are all interconnected. The ocean
waters are always moving. The three chief movements of ocean waters are the waves, the tides
and the ocean currents. The five major oceans are the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the
Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, in order of their size.
The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean. It is spread over one-third of the earth. Mariana
Trench, the deepest part of the earth, lies in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is almost
circular in shape. Asia, Australia, North and South Americas surround it.
The Atlantic Ocean is the second 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 ports. From the point of view of
commerce, it is the busiest Ocean.
The Indian Ocean is the only ocean named after a country, that is, India. The shape of
ocean is almost triangular. In the north, it is bound by Asia, in the west by Africa and in the east by
Australia.
The Southern Ocean encircles the continent of Antarctica and extends northward to 60
degrees south latitude.
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
bound 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 of sun’s rays.
 The atmosphere extends up to a height of about 1,600 kilometres. The atmosphere is
divided into five layers based on composition, temperature and other properties. These layers
starting from earth’s surface are called the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the
thermosphere and the exosphere.
The atmosphere is composed mainly of nitrogen and oxygen, which make up about 99
per cent of clean, dry air. Nitrogen 78 per cent, oxygen 21 per cent and other gases like
carbondioxide, argon and others comprise 1 per cent by volume. Oxygen is the breath of life while
nitrogen helps in the growth of living organisms. Carbon dioxide, though present in minute amount,
is important as it absorbs heat radiated by the earth, thereby keeping the planet warm. It is also
essential for the growth of plants. The density of the atmosphere varies with height. It is maximum
at the sea level and decreases rapidly as we go up. You know, the climbers experience problems
in breathing due to this decrease in the density of air. They have to carry with them oxygen
cylinders to be able to breathe at high altitudes. The temperature also decreases as we go
upwards. The atmosphere exerts pressure on the earth. This varies from place to place. 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 – THE DOMAIN OF LIFE

The biosphere is the narrow zone of contact between the land, water and air. It is in this
zone that life, that is unique to this planet, exists. There are several species of organisms that vary
in size from microbes and bacteria to huge mammals. All the living organisms including humans
are linked to each other and to the biosphere for survival. The organisms in the biosphere may
broadly be divided into the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom.
How the three domains of the earth interact with each other and affect each other?
The three domains of the earth interact with each other and affect each other in some
way or the other. For example, cutting of forests for fulfilling our needs of wood, or clearing land for
agriculture may lead to fast removal of soil from slopes. Similarly earth’s surface may be changed
due to natural calamities like earthquakes. For example, there could be submergence of land, as
happened in the case of Tsunami recently. Parts of Andaman & Nicobar islands were submerged
under water. Discharge of waste material into lakes and rivers makes the water unsuitable for
human use. It also damages other forms of life. Emission from industries, thermal power plants
and vehicles, pollute the air. Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) 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.
There is thus, a need to limit the use of resources of the earth to maintain the balance of nature
between the domains of the lithosphere, the atmosphere and the hydrosphere.