Class V S.St.

Ch-2 UNDERSTANDING OUR EARTH

In order to study the Earth in detail, we have a tool called the map.

MAP

A map is a representation of the Earth's surface or a part of it on a flat surface. They are

drawn to show the countries, states, districts, cities, etc. A map is better than a globe as-

* It can be folded and carried anywhere.

* It gives more specific and detailed information as compared to a globe.

* Even the smallest area can be enlarged and shown on a map.

A book of maps is called an Atlas.

TYPES OF MAPS

Maps are of three types.

A. PHYSICAL MAPS

They show physical features like mountains, plateaus, deserts,

plains, rivers etc.

B. POLITICAL MAPS

They show the political divisions of the world, continent,

countries, states, districts etc.

They show rainfall, population, roads, railways, crops etc. and

focus on these specific information.

UNDERSTANDING A MAP

Every map has direction, signs, symbols and scale. This is called the language of the map. A

map has a small arrow on the right hand corner. It is marked as' N' pointing towards the

North direction.

A. DIRECTIONS

The four main directions are North, South, East, and West.

These can be further divided as North-East, South-East,

North-West and South-West.

B. SCALE

A scale of a map is the ratio of a distance on the map to

the corresponding distance on the ground. It is shown by a

linear scale on the map.

C. CONVENTIONAL SIGNS AND SYMBOLS

Different signs and symbols are used to give information on a map. These signs and symbols

are conventional, so everybody understands them.

D. COLOUR LAYERING

Colours are used in the map to show different features such as mountains, plateaus, seas,

deserts and plains.

2. Dark brown shows high mountains and light brown shows low mountains and plateaus.

3. Yellow shows desert areas.

4. Plains and lowlands are shown in green.

THE CONTINENTS AND OCEANS

THE CONTINENTS

The big land masses are called continents. There are seven continents.

1. ASIA - It is the largest continent. The Himalayas, the highest mountain range, lie in Asia.

The world's most populous country, China, also lies here.

2. AFRICA - It is the second largest continent. It is called the Dark Continent because most

parts were unknown to the world till the 19th century . The equator divides this continent

into almost two equal parts.

3. NORTH AMERICA - It is the third largest continent. It was discovered in the 15th

century.

4.SOUTH AMERICA - It is the fourth largest continent with Brazil being its largest

country. This continent is also called Latin America.

5. ANTARCTICA - It is the fifth largest continent which remains covered with ice

throughout the year.

7. AUSTRALIA - It is the smallest continent. It is an island continent. It is both a continent

and a country.

THE OCEANS

A very large, deep and saline water body is called an ocean. There are five oceans in the

world.

1. The Pacific Ocean is the largest and the deepest ocean.

2. The Atlantic Ocean is the busiest ocean.

3. The Indian Ocean is the only ocean named after a country.

4. The Antarctic Ocean is a frozen ocean and lies near the South Pole. It is also called the

Southern Ocean.

5. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean and is located within the Arctic Circle.

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS .

1. What do you mean by a scale of a map?

2. List the continents according to their size from the smallest to the largest.

3. Name the oceans of the world.

4. How do colours represent different landforms on a map?

II. ANSWER IN ONE OR TWO WORDS.

1. Name the busiest ocean.

2. Name the continent that is divided almost into two equal parts by the equator.

3. Name the Dark Continent.

4. Name the largest country of South America.

5. Name the island continent.

Ch-3 WEATHER AND CLIMATE

WEATHER

It is a state of atmosphere at a particular place and time with regard to temperature, humidity,

cloudiness, dryness, sunshine, wind and rains. The weather may change in a few hours or a

few days.

CLIMATE

It is the average weather conditions prevailing over an area in general or over a long period.

Climate, generally does not change for 30 to 40 years. It is not necessary that it remains the

same throughout the year.

FACTORS AFFECTING CLIMATE

The climate of a place is affected by many factors.

1. DISTANCE FROM EQUATOR ( LATITUDE )

A place will be hot if it is located near the Equator. Generally, places far from the equator are

cooler. As the sun rays are vertical over the equator. They cover a shorter distance and are

spread over a smaller area.

2. ALTITUDE

Hill stations have a cold climate due to the height above the sea level which is called an

altitude. The temperature decreases with the increase in height.

3. DISTANCE FROM THE SEA

Places near the sea are neither too hot nor cold. They have equable climate because of land
and sea breezes.

SEA BREEZE

During the day time, the sun heats both land and

water, but land absorbs more heat than water.

Therefore the warm air above the land rises. The

cool air from the sea, takes its place. This is called

a sea breeze.

LAND BREEZE

At night, the land cools down more quickly than

the sea. The air above the sea is warmer and rises

up. The cool air from the land takes its place. This

is called land breeze.

So the weather is neither very hot, not very cold.

4. DIRECTION OF WIND

The winds affect the climate of a place. Wind coming from hot areas increases the

temperature , and winds coming from cold regions will lower the temperature of a place. The

winds may also bring in moisture. They are called rain bearing winds. Mawsynram in

Meghalaya ( India) gets the heaviest rainfall in the world.

5. HUMIDITY

Humidity means the amount of moisture present in the atmosphere. The winds blowing over

the sea bring in lots of moisture and make the climate of the coastal areas very humid.

6. OCEAN CURRENTS
These are the flow of water below the surface of the ocean water. They affect the climate of a

place, as these currents may be cold or warm.

CLIMATIC ZONES OF THE EARTH

The entire earth can be divided into three climatic or heat zones, depending upon the

temperature and rainfall received in areas within those zones.

These zones are:- 1. Torrid Zone 2. Temperate Zone 3. Frigid Zone

1. TORRID ZONE

This climate zone extends between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. As this

zone is spread on either side of the Equator, the sun rays fall directly on it making the area

extremely hot and humid.

2. TEMPETRATE ZONE

This zone lies between the Arctic Circle and Tropic of Cancer

in the Northern Hemisphere and the Antarctic Circle and

Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. This region

enjoys a moderate climate which is neither too hot nor too

cold. It is the area between Torrid and Frigid Zone.

3. FRIGID ZONE

This zone, in Northern Hemisphere, lies between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole and in

the Southern Hemisphere, it lies between Antarctic Circle and South Pole. The slant of the

sun rays almost loses its strength, making the region cool throughout the year.

TYPES OF CLIMATE

1. EQUATORIAL CLIMATE
It is found in regions near the Equator. It is hot and humid throughout the year. Evergreen

forests are found here. Trees found here are Ebony, Mahogany and Rosewood. A variety of

animals, birds and amphibians are found here.

2. MONSOON OR TROPICAL CLIMATE

In this summers are wet and winters are dry. A wide variety of animals and plant life are

found in it. India has this type of climate.

3. DESERT CLIMATE

It is found in the hot desert regions. During summers, the days are hot and nights are cool

and during winters the days are warm and nights are cold. Sandstorms are quiet common.

Animals found here are reptiles, scorpions, foxes, kangaroos and camels.

4. CONTINENTAL CLIMATE

It is found in the interior of the continent away from the sea.

Here, summers are extremely hot and winters are very cold. Example Delhi.

5. MODERATE OR MARITIME CLIMATE

This climate is neither very cold nor very hot. Places located near sea coast have this climate.

Example Mumbai .

6. MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE

In this, the winters are wet ( due to rains) and cool. Summers are hot and dry. This is found

near the Mediterranean Sea.

7. TUNDRA CLIMATE

It is extremely cold as they are nearest to the poles. The region remains under ice and snow

throughout the year. Vegetation is hardly seen and animals found here are polar bear,

reindeer, seal, huskies etc.

Q1. Differentiate between land breeze and sea breeze.

Ans.

LAND BREEZE SEA BREEZE

a. They blow from land to sea. a. They blow from sea to land.

b. They are dry winds. b. They are moisture laden winds.

c. They blow in the night time. c. They blow in the day time.

d. They are off shore winds. d. They are on shore winds.

Q2. Why do people go to hill stations in summers?

Ans. People go to hill stations in summers because these places are situated on higher

altitudes, that is, height above sea level, due to which the place remains cool even in

summers.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

Q1. What do you mean by weather ?

Q2. What is climate?

Q3. Name the factors that affect the climate of a place.

Q4. Name the types of climate.

Q5. Name the three heat zones of the world.

FILL IN THE BLANKS:

1. Days are hot and nights are cold in ________.

2. ___________ breeze blows from land to sea.

4. __________ zone remains very cold throughout the year.

5. The place in India that receives maximum rainfall is _________.

***********************************************

Note :- Write the given assignments in a rough copy and learn. Click on the links given and
watch the videos explaining the topics.

Email addresses - [email protected]

[email protected]

STAY HOME , STAY SAFE, STAY HEALTHY