Key Points - Environment

The nature, place, people, things, etc. that surrounding the living organisms make the environment.
It has three components: Natural, human and human-made.
It is a combination of both natural as well as man-made phenomena.
Natural environment comprises biotic and abiotic-conditions, whereas the man-made phenomena comprises the activities and interactions among human beings.

Natural Environment:
(i) Lang, water, air, plants and animals comprises the natural environment. (ii) Lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere are the four domains of the natural environment. (iii) Lithosphere is the solid crust or the hard top layer of the earth. It contains landforms like mountains, plateaus, plains and valleys. (iv) Hydrosphere is the domain of water. It comprises water bodies like rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, etc. (v) The atmosphere is the thin layer of earth that surrounds the earth. It protects us from the harmful rays and scorching heat of the sun. (vi) Biosphere is a narrow zone of the earth where land, water and air interact with each other to support life.

What is Ecosystem?
(i) The relation between the living organisms as well as the relation between the organisms and their surrounding form the ecosystem. (ii) There could be an ecosystem of large rainforest, grassland, desert, mountains, lake, river, ocean and even a small pond.

Human Environment
(i) Human beings interact with the environment and modify it according to their needs. (ii)  Early humans adapted themselves to their natural surroundings. (iii) With time, humans learnt to grow new things, domesticate animals and lead a settled life. (iv) Industrial revolution, transportation and information revolution and information made communication easier and speedy across the world.