Class 6 Social Science Chapter 2 Notes Oceans and Continents
→ The absence of seas would result in a lack of rainfall, turning Earth into a desert. Furthermore, the seas are referred to as “the planet’s lungs” since they produce almost half of the oxygen in the atmosphere. As a result, the seas are essential to maintain strike through life on Earth and controlling climate.
→ The Northern Hemisphere has more land than the Southern Hemisphere.
→ Oceans support all kinds of marine life and play a critical role in the world climate.
→ The United Nations has designated June 8 as World Oceans Day to remind us all of the major role the ocean plays in everyday life.
→ On 26 December 2004, India and another 13 countries around the Indian Ocean were struck by a powerful tsunami caused by an earthquake in Indonesia.
→ Seawater is salty and unfit for consumption by most land animals, including humans.
→ Events that lead to loss of life and property are handled under disaster management. India has its own ‘National Disaster Management Authority’ to deal with all kinds of disasters.
Learning Objectives
- Learn to identify the oceans and continents.
- Learn to identify importance of oceans and continents.
- To develop moral responsibility towards nature.
- To explore about the island groups of India.
Introduction
Everything on earth revolves around the ocean. It encompasses seven-tenths of the Earth’s surface. The colour blue is the most common colour in the world. Of course, but what does it actually stand for? It’s called “water.” This indicates that water truly covers the majority of the Earth’s surface-nearly three-fourths of it, to be exact. This explains why the Earth appears primarily blue when viewed from space. As early astronauts lovingly referred to Earth, it was the “blue planet.”
Oceans
The largest water bodies we see on the globe are called ‘oceans’.
The Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean are the five main oceans.
Pacific Ocean: The world’s largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean. It covers one-third of the planet. The Mariana Trench, located beneath the Pacific Ocean, is the lowest point on Earth. The shape of the Pacific Ocean is round. This ocean is surrounded by North America, South America, Australia and Asia.
Atlantic Ocean: The world’s second-largest ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, is bordered by North and South America to the west, and Europe and Africa to the east, forming an ‘S’ shape.
Indian Ocean: Only one other ocean bears the name of a nation, India. The ocean is nearly trapezoidal in shape. Its borders are as follows: Australia to the east, Africa to the west and Asia to the north.
Southern Ocean: Also referred to as the Antarctic Ocean, the southernmost waters of the world ocean surround Antarctica from the south.
The Arctic Ocean: Encircling the North Pole, the Arctic Ocean is situated inside the Arctic Circle. The Bering Strait, a slender, shallow waterway, separates it from the Pacific Ocean. The northern shores of Eurasia and North America encircle it.
Continents
The large continuous masses of land above the earth’s surface are called continents. The major continents of the Earth are-Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica.
- The greater part of the land mass lies in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Asia is the largest continent. The combined landmass of Europe and Asia is called the Eurasia.
- Europe is much smaller than Asia. Africa is the second largest continent. It is the only continent through which the Tropic of Cancer, the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn pass. The world’s largest hot desert is the Sahara Desert. The world’s longest river is the Nile.
- North America is the third largest continent of the world. South America and North America are linked by a very narrow strip of land called the Isthmus of Panama.
- The world’s longest mountain range is the Andes. The Amazon is the world’s largest river.
- Australia is the smallest continent. It is also called an island continent.
- Antarctica is permanently covered with thick ice sheets. India has research station named as Maitri and Dakshin Gangotri in Antarctica.
The Earth’s climate is significantly shaped by both continents and oceans. They have an impact on all facets of life, including all flora and fauna and, consequently, human existence. Their influence can be seen in our everyday lives as well as in our history and culture.
Don’t Miss Out
You may have seen the five Olympic rings, one of the symbols the gathering of sports people from all over the world. The rings were chosen to represent five inhabited continents – Africa, America, Asia, Australia and Europe.
The Distribution of Water and Land on the Earth
The majority of the water on Earth is contained in the oceans collectively. But most terrestrial animals, including people, should not drink this salted seawater. Conversely, freshwater, which is found in glaciers, rivers, lakes, the atmosphere and subterranean or groundwater, comprises a very small fraction of the planet’s water resources.
Oceans and disasters
Rainfall is brought about by clouds; for example, the monsoon rains that India experiences each summer come from the ocean; without these rains, agriculture and all living things would suffer. However, storms-violent occurrences with intense rainfall or powerful winds, such as cyclones-are also frequently brought on by oceans and have the potential to seriously harm coastal areas worldwide.
Tsunami
Another natural calamity that starts in the ocean is a tsunami. It is a massive, violent wave that is typically brought on by an intense earthquake or an underwater volcanic eruption. Tsunamis can inflict tremendous devastation by submerging coastal areas and travelling thousands of kilometres.
Islands
A few smaller bits of land are left out; these are known as islands because they are encircled by water on all sides. (Continents are not regarded as islands despite being encircled by water due to their immense size.) The earth is home to thousands upon thousands of islands, all varying in size. The world’s largest island is Greenland.
There are almost 1,300 tiny islands in India. These comprise the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea, which are two of the larger groups.
- The absence of seas would result in a lack of rainfall, turning Earth into a desert. Furthermore, the seas are referred to as “the planet’s lungs” since they produce almost half of the oxygen in the atmosphere. As a result, the seas are essential to maintain strike through life on Earth and controlling climate.
- The Northern Hemisphere has more land than the Southern Hemisphere.
- Oceans support all kinds of marine life and play a critical role in the world climate.
- The United Nations has designated June 8 as World Oceans Day to remind us all of the major role the ocean plays in everyday life.
- On 26 December 2004, India and another 13 countries around the Indian Ocean were struck by a powerful tsunami caused by an earthquake in Indonesia.
- Seawater is salty and unfit for consumption by most land animals, including humans.
- Events that lead to loss of life and property are handled under disaster management. India has its own ‘National Disaster Management Authority’ to deal with all kinds of disasters.