Class 6: Chapter I:

Celestial bodies Sun, moon and the objects shining in the sky
Those who study celestial bodies and their movements: Astronomers; Aryabhata discovered that the planets and the moon
shine due to the light reflected from the sun

Stars Celestial bodies that are made of gases and produce their own heat and light in large quantities are calles stars.Eg: Sun
Constellations Patterns formed by groups of stars
Eg: Ursa major (saptha rishi a part of the constellation is one of the most easily recognisable patter), Big bear
Planets Celestial bodies that don't produce their own heat and light and use that of the stars; Venus aka earth's twin
International Astronomical Union declared Pluto a dwarf planet
Earth: 5th largest; round flattened at the ends; shaped like a Geoid; aka blue planet; rotates west to east:

Sun Centre of the solar system; It is the pulling force of the sun that makes the planets in the solar system revolve around it in a
fixed path (orbit); Approx 150 mkm from earth; Light travels at 300,00 kmps: Sunlight takes 8 mins to reach the earth
Moon Neil Armstrong stepped in 1969; Earths only satellite; About 384,400 km from earth; Diameter 1/4th of the earth; Revolves
around earth in 27 days (takes same time to rotate)
Satellite Celestial objects that revolve around a planet just like the planets revolve around the sun
Man-made satellites are those that are placed on the orbit of the earth carried by a rocket to gather in formation about the
universe and for communication purposes; Eg of Indian satellites: INSAT, IRS, EDUSAT

Asteroids tiny bodies which also move around the sun; found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter; planet which exploded many years
Meteoroid back
The small pieces of rocks which move around the sun; Sometimes these meteoroids come near the earth and tend to drop
upon it. During this process due to friction with the air they get heated up and burn. It causes a flash of light. Sometimes, a
meteor without being completely burnt, falls on the earth and creates a hollow.

Galaxy The solar system is a part of the Milky way galaxy. In ancient India, it was imagined to be a river of light flowing in the sky.
Thus, it was named Akash Ganga. A galaxy is a huge system of billions of stars, clouds of dust and gases.

Chapter 2:
Equator An imaginary line that divides the earth into two parts- Norther and Southern hemisphere
All parallel lines from the equator to the poles- Parallels of latitudes; Latitudes are measured in degrees
equator is 0 degrees and 90 degree North is North Pole and 90 degree south is South pole: Accordingly, all parallels north
and south are north latitudes and south latitudes respectively

Important parallels Tropic of Cancer- 23.5 degree N; Tropic of Capricon- 23.5 degree S
of latitude Arctic circle- 66.5 degree N; Antarctic circle- 66.5 degree S

Heat zones of earth Torrid Zone: The parts between Tropic of Cancer and Capricon that receive maximum sunlight
Temperate zones: Areas between a. Tropic of Cancer and Artic circle (and) b. Tropic of capricon and Antarctic circle that don't
receive mid-day sun due to the angle of the sun's rays
Frigid zones: Areas between a. North pole and Artic circle (and) b. Antarctic circle and south pole that receive minimum heat
as sun doesn't rise above the horizon

Longitude lines of references from the North pole to the south pole are called the meridians of longitude and the distances between them
are measured in ‘degrees of longitude.’ All the lines from the north pole to the south pole aka Meridians are of equal length;
the meridian which passed through Greenwich, where the British Royal Observatory is called the Prime Meridian: 0° longitude

Time zones 82.3 degree E: Standard meridian is taken as IST (Mirzapur, Allahabad, UP)

Chapter 3:
Motions of earth Movement of earth in it's own axis: Rotation: 24 hrs
Movement of earth around the sun: Revolution: 365. 25 days (leap year with an addl one day once in 4 years to compensate
the revolution): elliptical orbit
Earth is tilted at 66.5 degree: therefore a part experiences day while the other night: circle that divides the
day from night on the globe is called the circle of illumination

Solstice 21st June, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun: rays fall directly on the Tropic of Cancer: The North Pole is
inclined towards the sun and the places beyond the Arctic Circle experience continuous daylight for about six months: summer
in the regions north of the equator. The longest day and the shortest night at these places: 21st June. At this time in the
Southern Hemisphere all these conditions are reversed. It is winter season there. The nights are longer than the days. This
position of the earth is called the Summer Solstice: vice versa on 22 and December is called Winter Solstice

Equinox On 21st March and September 23rd, direct rays of the sun fall on the equator. At this position, neither of the poles is tilted
towards the sun; so, the whole earth experiences equal days and equal nights
Chapter 4:
Map A map is a representation or a drawing of the earth’s surface or a part of it drawn on a flat surface according to a scale
Types of Maps Showing natural features of the earth such as mountains, plateaus, plains, rivers, oceans etc: Physical or relief map
Showing cities, towns and villages and different countries and states of the world with their boundaries: Political maps
Focus on specific information; such as road maps, rainfall maps, maps showing distribution of forests, industries etc.:
Thematic maps

Components of Distance: Scale is the ratio between the actual distance on the ground and the distance shown on the map.
Maps When large areas like continents or countries are to be shown on a paper, then we use a small scale. For example 5 cm. on
the map shows 500 km. of the ground. It is called a small scale map. When a small area like your village or town is to be
shown on paper, then we use a large scale that is 5 cm. on the map shows 500 metres only on the ground. It is called a large
scale map.
Direction: the four main points (North, South, East and West) on an instrument that shows direction are called Cardinal points
Symbol, Sketch and plan

Chapter 5:
Lithosphere The solid portion of the earth: 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: 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.
First men to climb Mt.Everest: Edmund Hillary (New Zealand) and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (India)
First woman: Junko Tabei (Japan)
First Indian woman: Bachendri Pal.

Hydrosphere Despite being a ‘blue planet’ we face a shortage of water:

The earth is called the blue planet: More than 71% is covered with water and 29% 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 consumption
Oceans:
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

Atmosphere The earth is surrounded by a layer of gas called the atmosphere. This thin blanket of air is an integral and important aspect of
the planet. It provides us with the air we breathe and protects us from the harmful effects of sun’s rays. The gravitational force
of the earth holds the atmosphere around it: Changes here cause weather and climate
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:
78%- Nitrogen (helps in the growth of living organisms)
21%- Oxygen (breath of life) and
1%- Other gases like carbon dioxide (important as it absorbs heat radiated by the earth, thereby keeping the planet warm,
essential for the growth of plants, argon and others)
The density of the atmosphere varies with height. Maximum at the sea level and decreases rapidly as we go up. 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 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
Chapter 6:
Major landforms of Mountains:
earth A hill is a land surface that rises higher than the surrounding area. Generally, a steep hill with an elevation of more than 600
metres is termed as a mountain.
A mountain is any natural elevation of the earth surface: have a small summit and a broad base: permanently frozen
rivers of ice in mountains are called glaciers. Range: Series of mountains E.g.: Alphs, Andes and Himalayas
Mauna Kea (Hawaii) in the Pacific Ocean is an undersea mountain. It is higher than Mount Everest being 10,205 metres high
Types of mountains:
- Fold mountains: Formed by folding and layering of the earth's top layer. Eg: Aravalli (oldest fold mountain)
- Block mountains: Created when large areas are broken and displaced vertically. The uplifted blocks are termed as horsts
and the lowered blocks are called graben. E.g. Rhine valley (Europe)
- Volcanic mountains: Formed due to volcanic activity E.g. Mt.Kilimanjaro in Africa
Features of mountains: storehouse of water: Many rivers have their source in the glaciers in the mountains: Reservoirs are
made and the water is harnessed for the use of people: Water from the mountains is also used for irrigation and generation of
hydro-electricity. The river valleys and terraces are ideal for cultivation of crops. Mountains
have a rich variety of flora and fauna.

Plateau:
A plateau is an elevated flat land. It is a flat-topped table land standing above the surrounding area. The Deccan plateau in
India is one of the oldest plateaus The Tibet plateau is the highest plateau in the world with a height of 4,000 to 6,000 metres
above the mean sea level. Plateaus are very useful because they are rich in mineral deposits. As a result, many of the mining
areas in the world are located in the plateau areas
African plateau: famous for gold and diamond mining
Chhotanagpur plateau: iron, coal and manganese
In the plateau areas, there may be several waterfalls as the river falls from a great height. Eg: Hundru falls in the
Chhotanagpur plateau on the river Subarnarekha and the Jog falls in Karnataka
The lava plateaus are rich in black soil that are fertile and good for cultivation.

Plains:
Large stretches of flat land: generally, not more than 200 metres above mean sea level. Some plains are extremely level.
Others may be slightly rolling and undulating. Most of the plains are formed by rivers and their tributaries. The rivers flow down
the slopes of mountains and erode them. They carry forward the eroded material. Then they deposit their load consisting of
stones, sand and silt along their courses and in their valleys. It is from these deposits that
plains are formed
Thickly populated parts of the world: Suilable for settlment and cultivation: In india, Indo gangetic plain: most populated

Chapter 7:
Strait A narrow line of sea that joins two places
Alluvial deposits These are very fine soils, brought by rivers and deposited in the river basins.
Tributary A river or stream which contributes its water to a main river by discharging it into main river from either side
Peninsular A piece of land surrounded by water on three sides
Corals skeletons of tiny marine animals called Polyps. When the living polyps die, their skeletons are left. Other poplyps grow on top
of the hard skeleton which grows higher and higher, thus forming the coral islands. Eg: Lakshadweep
India- Area: Total area: 3.28 million sq. km
North south extent: 3200 km; East west extent: 2900 km
The ganga and Bhrama putra form the world's largest delta- The sunderbans delta. It is formed at the mouth of the river (A
place where the river enters the sea)

Chapter 8:
Weather Day to day changes in the atmosphere
Major seasons Winter
Summer: Hot and dry winds called loo blow during the day
Rainy season: Mawsynram in Meghalaya receives the world’s highest rainfall
Retreating monsoon or Autumn

Climate Is affected by: Altitude, Distance from sea, releif and location
Migratory birds Birds such as Pintail Duck, Curlews, Flamingo, Osprey and Little Stint migrate to our country in winter season every year.
Smallest migratory bird Little Stint weighing as low as 15 gram, from Arctic region travel over 8000 km to reach India
Chapter 2:
Rocks All natural masses of mineral matter that make up the crust
Types of rocks:
- Igneous
- Sedimentary
- Metamorphic
GOI Initiatives:
Initiative Year
Project tiger 1973

Project elephant 1992

Van Mahotsav 1950

Information rveolution
Description
Launched by Indira Gandhi: The project aims at ensuring a viable population of the
Bengal tiger in its natural habitats, protecting it from extinction and preserving
areas of biological importance as a natural heritage that represent the diversity of
ecosystems across the tiger's range in the country: Successfull in acheiving the
objectives

Elephant city- Jaipur: State animal elephant- Jhrkhand, Karnataka and Kerala
Through the Project Elephant scheme, the government helps in the protection and
management of elephants to the states having wild elephants in a free-ranging
population
Annual one-week tree planting forest festival celebrated in the first week of July