What is Our Environment?
The basic meaning that the word environment conveys is surroundings. Whatever we see in our surroundings is a part of our environment and contributes to its formation. Environmental science is a budding aspect of science and higher studies that deals with the study of interactions between different species of flora and fauna that exist in nature. The flora comprises all the species of plant life found on the earth whereas fauna consists of all the animal species you'd see in your surroundings. Together, flora and fauna make our environment.
What is Natural Environment?
The natural environment comprises all the living and nonliving things that occur naturally In the environment. Natural in this context means "anything that isn't man-made or artificial". The basic sense that the term natural environment conveys is "anything related to the earth", anything which occurs in nature without any manufacturing process in a factory!
What is Our Natural Environment Made of?
As iterated earlier, the natural environment includes any component which occurs naturally in the environment without any processing by humans. Our natural environment consists of:
All the ecological units of an ecosystem. All these units have been unaffected by human civilization and its advancement. This includes all the species of bizarre animals found in nooks and corners of the earth and any vegetation that grows in any part of the world. Any living organisms including even the smallest microorganism found in any part of the world.
The other component of the environment is the non-living component. This includes every single non-living component that exists naturally in nature. Like the stones, water, air. Anything non-living has existed in the same state for a long time and continues to occur in nature.
Natural Environment Examples
Still, confused about what the natural environment exactly is? Well, here's a list of natural environment elements, this will give you a better idea about. The given list includes objects you see in your surroundings every day, all these objects are an integral part of our natural environment.
Human beings
Plants in a garden
The little insects in nature
Trees
Stones
The air around you
The examples given above are a few examples of the parts of our natural environment.
Types of Natural Environment
Our natural environment could further be divided into domains. These domains are
Lithosphere
Atmosphere
Biosphere
Hydrosphere
All these domains together make up the environment.
The lithosphere consists of the earth's crust. All the rocks, different layers of soil, and minerals found in the earth's crust are a part of the lithosphere. This domain facilitates the lives of forests and trees, and hence they're interdependent.
The hydrosphere is the domain that comprises water bodies. Hydra means water in Latin. Hydrosphere hence includes all the forms of water bodies you can find on earth. The rivers, lakes, oceans, seas, and ponds. All of them come under the hydrosphere.
The Atmosphere refers to the thin blanket of air that surrounds our planet. This thin blanket of air is held together by the gravitational force and is responsible for protecting us from harmful UV radiation. The atmosphere holds several gases in a specific ratio. Few of the major gases found in the atmosphere are oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.
The biosphere refers to all the living organisms found on mother earth. Ranging from tiny insects to the giant blue whale, all of these are a part of the biosphere. The biosphere is dependent on all the other domains since no organism on earth can survive without air, water, or soil. Hence, these domains are interdependent.
What is a Manmade Environment?
Man-made, the word is self-explanatory. Man-made means anything which is produced due to human kind's efforts. Anything which isn't found in the surroundings naturally is termed as man-made. The world, in which all of us live is a blend of both the natural environment and the man-made environment.
Examples of Artificial Environment
When you look around yourself, you'd find various objects in your home. Objects have been made out of naturally existing objects but human beings modified these objects according to their convenience. For instance, consider a door. A door is generally made out of wood. Wood comes from trees which are a part of the biosphere, however, human beings have modified the wood and transformed it into a door. This is how the artificial or man-made environment came into being. Given below are a few other man-made environment examples that would help you to get a better understanding.
Our man-made environment consists of electronic elements. If you look around the house, you will find several electronic devices such as a television, fan, air conditioner, to name a few. All these electronic devices are made by human beings to make our lives more convenient. Electricity is the basic source for all these electronic devices and the electricity is produced by natural sources like wind, coal, solar. Hence artificial or man-made environment is derived from the natural environment to improve the quality of our life.
FAQs on Environment
1. What do you mean by the term 'environment' as explained in Class 7 Geography?
In the context of Class 7 Geography, the environment refers to everything that surrounds us, including the place, people, things, and nature. It is a combination of natural and human-made phenomena. The environment provides our basic life support system, giving us the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the land where we live.
2. What are the major components of the environment?
The environment has three major components:
Natural Environment: This includes all things that occur naturally, which are further divided into biotic (living, e.g., plants, animals) and abiotic (non-living, e.g., land, water) components.
Human-Made Environment: This consists of things created by humans, such as buildings, parks, bridges, roads, and industries.
Human Environment: This refers to humans themselves—as individuals, families, communities, and their interactions, such as religion, education, and economic activities.
3. Can you explain the four domains of the natural environment?
The four major domains of the natural environment are:
Lithosphere: The solid crust or the hard top layer of the Earth, made up of rocks and minerals and covered by a thin layer of soil. It provides us with forests, grasslands, and land for agriculture and human settlements.
Hydrosphere: The domain of water, which includes various water bodies like rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans.
Atmosphere: The thin layer of air that surrounds the Earth. It consists of a number of gases, dust, and water vapour. The gravitational force of the Earth holds the atmosphere around it.
Biosphere: A narrow zone of the Earth where land, water, and air interact with each other to support life. Both plant and animal kingdoms together make up the biosphere.
4. What is an ecosystem and what does it consist of?
An ecosystem is a system formed by the interaction of all living organisms (plants, animals, and human beings) with each other and with the physical and chemical factors of the environment in which they live, all linked by the transfer of energy and material. For example, a large rainforest, a grassland, or even a small pond can be considered an ecosystem.
5. What is the key difference between a natural and a human-made environment?
The key difference lies in their origin. The natural environment comprises all living and non-living things that occur naturally on Earth, without any human interference. In contrast, the human-made environment includes all objects and infrastructure created by human beings by modifying the natural environment to suit their needs, such as buildings, industries, and agricultural fields.
6. Why is the environment considered our 'basic life support system'?
The environment is called our basic life support system because it provides all the essential elements required for survival. It gives us air to breathe from the atmosphere, water to drink from the hydrosphere, and land to live on from the lithosphere. Furthermore, it provides the food we eat, which grows on land, making our existence entirely dependent on these environmental components.
7. How do human beings modify the natural environment? Give some examples.
Human beings interact with the environment and modify it according to their needs. While early humans adapted themselves to their natural surroundings, modern humans learned to change them. Examples of modification include:
Clearing forests to grow crops and build settlements.
Constructing dams across rivers to harness water and generate electricity.
Building factories and transportation networks, which often leads to pollution.
Extracting minerals from the lithosphere for industrial use.
8. What was the barter system and how does it illustrate the evolution of the human environment?
The barter system was an early method of trade where goods were exchanged directly for other goods without the use of money. This system illustrates the evolution of the human environment by showing how early human societies interacted to fulfil their needs using available resources. The transition from the barter system to the use of currency and the emergence of commerce shows how human economic activities have become more complex, leading to large-scale modifications of the natural environment.
