Question

1. Lithosphere
2. Hydrosphere
3. Atmosphere
4. Biosphere
5. Antarctica
6. Pacific Ocean
7. Atlantic Ocean
8. Indian Ocean
9. Troposphere

Answer 1

1. Lithosphere: It is the domain of the Earth that is composed of the solid mass of the Earth's surface and includes rocks and soil on its crust. It covers around 29% of the Earth's surface. It is divided into seven continents Asia, Africa, Antarctica, North America, South America, Europe and Australia.

2. Hydrosphere: The availability of water is a unique feature of the Earth. The domain of the Earth's surface comprising water, including oceans, seas, rivers and lakes, is known as the hydrosphere. It covers 71% of the Earth's surface.

3. Atmosphere: The air around the Earth's surface till a height of 1,600 kilometres is known as the atmosphere. It is composed of gases like nitrogen, oxygen, ozone and carbon dioxide and water vapour. It is an essential factor for the existence of life on the Earth, as it prevents harmful rays of the Sun from reaching the surface of the Earth.

4. Biosphere: It is a narrow zone of the Earth's surface where different domains like air, water and land interact with each other to support life.

5. Antarctica: The continent is completely covered with ice; hence, it is known as the white continent. It is located near the South Pole and provides avenues for weather-related discoveries. This is the reason it is also known as the continent of science.

6. Pacific Ocean: This ocean was discovered by Ferdinand Magellan. It was named so because of the presence of steady, calm and swift winds around it. It is the largest and deepest ocean in the world. Also, more than 75% of the active volcanoes are found in the land bordering the Pacific.

7. Atlantic Ocean: This ocean is roughly half the size of the Pacific Ocean. It is the busiest sea route owing to its strategic location. It is located between North and South America on the west side and Europe and Africa on the east side.

8. Indian Ocean: It is the only ocean that has been named after a country. The reason is that India is strategically located to its north and had a great role in international trade via sea in ancient times. It is bounded on three sides by three continents, i.e. Africa on the east, Asia on the north and Australia on the west.

9. Troposphere: It is the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere and extends to a height of around 18 kilometres at the Equator and 8 kilometres at the poles. All weather phenomena occur in this layer only, as it contains almost 90% of the atmospheric air. In this layer, temperature decreases at the rate of 1^oC per 165 metres.