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Oceans and Continents NCERT Class 6th SST Chapter 2 Question Answer

Oceans and Continents Class 6 Questions and Answers

The Big Questions (Page 27)

Question 1.
What are oceans and continents? What are their names and their distribution?
Answer:
The Earth’s surface is divided into oceans and continents of which almost three-fourths is covered with water and 1 /4th with land. 97% of this water is in Oceans. That is why, Earth is called the ‘Blue planet’.

1. The largest water bodies, we see on the globe are called ‘Oceans’. They are all interconnected and level of water remains same everywhere (MSL i.e. Mean Sea Level).

2. A large continuous expanse of land is called a continent.

3. There are five major Oceans of the world from the largest to the smallest they are :
(a) The Pacific Ocean.
(b) The Atlantic Ocean.
(c) The Indian Ocean.
(d) The Southern Ocean.
(e) The Arctic Ocean.

4. The Pacific Ocean is the largest and spreads on about 30% area of the earth.
5. It. is circular in shape. The world’s deepest part of the earth — Mariana Trench lies under the Pacific Ocean.
6. It is bounded by Asia and Australia on one side and North the South America on the other.

7. The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest and is ‘S’ shaped.

• It is flanked by the North and South America’s on the western side and Europe and Africa on the eastern side.
• It has a highly irregular indented coastline helpful in {development of natural harbours.
• It is the busiest ocean from the point of commerce.

The Indian Ocean is the third largest and only Ocean named after a country (India/Bharat). It is shaped almost like a triangular.

• Its limits are Asia to the North, Africa to the West and Australia to the East and Southern Ocean in the South.
• The Arabian sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east are part of it.

The southern Ocean is the Ocean around the continent of Antarctica.

• It means the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans around the continent.
• 60°S is often accepted as its location.
• Some people call this Ocean the Antarctic Ocean.

The Arctic Ocean is smallest of all the Oceans and is located within the Arctic Circle and surrounds the North Pole.

• It is actually a northward extension of the Atlantic Ocean.
• A narrow water body, Berring Strait connects it with the Pacific Ocean.
• It is bound by the northern coasts of North America and Eurasia in the North.

There are seven continents. In order of size they are: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.

• Asia: It occupies about 1/3 rd of the Earth land area. It is separated from Europe by the Ural Mountains. Asia and Europe together are known as Eurasia. Asia is surrounded on three sides by oceans- Arctic (N) Pacific (E) & Indian (S).
• Africa: Three important latitudes pass through it – Tropic of Cancer, the Equator and Tropic of Capricorn. The Prime Meridian too passes through this landmass. Like Asia it is bound on three sides by water bodies. The Suez Canal separates Asia and Africa today.
• North America: North America is bound by three oceans -the Arctic(N),the Atlantic (E) and the Pacific oceans While earlier the Panama Isthmus joined N & S Americas today it separates them.
• South America: It too is surrounded by oceans on almost all sides— e.g. Pacific Ocean on the west side and Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Southern Ocean in the South.
• Antarctica: This continent lies to the extreme end of the Southern Hemisphere. The South Pole is almost at the centre. Its other names are frozen continent or the white continent as it is permanently covered with ice. Out of all the continents here people do not live on a permanent basis.

Europe: It is joined to the continent of Asia. In the north it is bound by the Arctic Ocean, west by the Atlantic Ocean and south by the Mediterranean Sea.
Australia: It is the smallest of the seven continents. It is bound on all sides by seas and oceans and thus also known as island continent.

Question 2.
In what ways do oceans and continents impact life on Earth, including human life?
Answer:
Oceans and continents impact life on Earth including human life in a number of ways.

• They play a vital role in shaping the climate, of the Earth. Oceans through cut-rents transport heat from the equator to the poles regulating our climate.
• 98% of the heat from Sun’s rays are absorbed by the Oceans.
• They help send rain to the continents. They are a part of the water cycle which sustains agriculture, life on earth and replenishes the useable fresh water resources.
• Our Oceans produce over half the world’s oxygen we breathe and captures an estimate of 40% of the CO₂ produced which is why they are called ‘planets lungs’.
• The Oceans feed us, example- fishes. Its biodiversity provide one global community with animal protein. In many developed countries seafood is the primary source of protein.
• Oceans provide jobs and livelihoods. From early times people have used oceans and seas to migrate to other regions, to trade in all kinds of goods and to conduct military campaign; and exchange ideas.
• Oceans have impacted history and culture, example seafarers, discovery of sea routes to various continents led to colonisation and imperialisation— even to enslavement.
• However Oceans are not all a story of gains. Oceans give rise to violent events with extreme rainfall, or strong winds such as cyclones which cause widespread damage to men and material.
• Tsunami, a natural disaster originates in the ocean. The sea waves travel thousands of km, submerge coastal areas and cause loss of life and property.

Like Oceans continents too impact life on Earth. Continents (7) are home to various landforms— mountains, plains, plateaus, deserts. They support varied plant and animal life giving rise to many interesting eco systems in nature.

• The soil cover provides us various forms of vegetation like, forests and grasslands for grazing, agriculture and human settlements.
• Continents along with oceans are a rich source of minerals essential for economic development.
  The landmass supports all structures like buildings, roads, rails, that are essential for living and transport.
• Continents are home to vast variety of fauna. The animals range from tigers to lizards to moles bacteria and organisms that live underground and overground.
• The vast and ever growing human population with its wasteful, modern life style and green house gases to contributing climate change, inturn impacts life in oceans and on continents. What is needed is a sustainable way of life.

Let’s Explore

Question 1.
What are the circular lines in each map called? And do you know what the lines radiating out of the two poles are called? (Hint: you studied them in the previous chapter, but here they are presented differently.) (Page 29)
Answer:
The circular lines in each map are called – parallels of latitudes. Lines radiating from the two poles are called – Meridians of longitudes.

Question 2.
Which hemisphere holds more water?
Answer:
The Southern Hemisphere has more water than the Northern Hemisphere.

Question 3.
What do you think could be the approximate proportion of water to land in the Northern Hemisphere? And in the Southern Hemisphere? Discuss in groups. (Page 29)
Answer:

• Northern Hemisphere: The proportion of water to land 40% land, 60% water.
• Southern Hemisphere: The proportion of water to land 20% land, 80% water.

Question 4.
Are all the oceans connected with one another, or are there separations between them? (Page 29)
Answer:
Yes all the five Oceans are interconnected.

• Some are connected via the Arctic Ocean. Example: the narrow water body named. Berring Strait connects the Pacific and the Arctic Ocean.
• Still others are connected by the narrow gap between the land masses of South America and the Antarctica.

Question 5.
Locate the five oceans and, in the table below, mark the hemisphere or hemispheres they belong to. (Page 32)

Answer:

Obserye the below image and answer the following questions: (Page 36)

Question 6.
Counting the numbers of squares, name the largest continent and the smallest.

Answer:
Asia is the largest continent.
Australia is the smallest continent.

Question 7.
Which one is larger-North America or South America, Africa or North America, Antarctica or Australia?
Answer:
South America is larger than North America, Africa is larger than North America and Antarctica is larger than Australia.

Question 8.
Re-colour the diagram by having a single colour for Europe and Asia and rename the result as ‘Eurasia’. Compare its size with South America’s. (Page 36)
Answer:
Eurasia (54 squares) is three times the size of South America (18 squares).

Question 9.
Write down the list of continents from the smallest to the largest.
Answer:
Here is a list of continents from the smallest to the largest:

1. Australia
2. Antarctica
3. South America
4. North America
5. Europe
6. Africa
7. Asia

Think About it

Question 1.
If there is such abundance of water on the planet, why is there so much talk of ‘water scarcity’ or a ‘water crisis’? (Page 31)
Answer:
The oceans together hold 3/4th of the water available on our planet.

• But the seawater is salty and unfit for consumption by most animals and humans.
• Fresh water (3%) fit for consumption constitutes only 1.2% and is available only in rivers and lakes.
• The rest is locked up in glaciers, ice caps and buried deep under the ground (groundwater).
• As there is limited availability of fresh water, we need to use it judiciously i.e. with care.
• Other contributing factors which are adding to the scarcity are –
  • Climate change and natural calamities like droughts and floods.
  • Increased human consumption.
  • Pollution of available resource over-use and wastage.
  • Increased global demand due to population increase and resource intensive economic development.

Question 2.
What ways of saving water are you aware of? Which ones have you seen practised at home, at your school, and in your village, town or city? (Page 31)
Answer:
Water being a precious gift of nature, and an essential and scarce resource needs to be used judiciously.
Home :

• Take shorter showers and mostly with bucket and mug.
• Fix leaks.
• Turn off tap and also not put the ’ tap full on.
• Turn off water i.e. not let taps run while brushing teeth or while shaving.
• Do rain water harvesting in which rain water from terrace veranda goes in underground pit through separate piping.
• Mapping the floor instead of washing.
• Reusing water used for cleaning vegetables for plants.
• Ensuring the water tank does not overflow when it is being filled.
• Running washing machine only with full load.
• Wiping the cars with wet mop instead of using hose for cleaning cars.
• Low flow flush toilets.

Or

School:

• Turn off water tap after use.
• Report of tap or pipes leaking.
• Form a water action plan team.
• Encourage students to use refill water bottles and educate them to pour their leftover, water in pots or the play field.
• Raise awareness among students about importance of water by preparing colourful posters on water use and water saving.
• Avoid flushing the toilets unnecessarily.
• Dispose waste like tissues in dustbins rather than in the toilet.
• Designate a water saving week in school calendar to spread awareness and save water.

Or

Village/Town/City.

• Harvest and reuse water
• Educate and engage community to harvest and store water.
• Check for openings or leaks in water distribution pipes.
• Better irrigation practices like drip irrigation.
• Invest in water harvesting by digging ponds, canals or installing water catching ducts.
• Replenish ground water by building and restoring infrastructure in villages.
• Safe disposal of water waste.
• Support revival of traditional water bodies.

Questions, Activities and Projects (Pages 39-40)

Question 1.
Explain the following terms:
(a) Continent
(b) Ocean
(c) Island
Answer:
(a) Continent: A large continuous expanse of land is called a continent. Example: Asia, North America.
(b) Oceans: Vast water bodies on the surface of the earth are called oceans. Example: Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean.
(c) Island: Some smaller places of land surrounded by water on all sides are called Islands. Example: Lakshadweep Islands, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Question 2.
Let us draw – Without looking at the maps in this chapter, draw the continents free hand on a sheet of paper and colour them. Then compare your drawing with the map of oceans and continents in the chapter.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

Question 3.
Let us. do – On the outline map of the world given below, label all the continents and oceans.

Answer:

Question 4.
Solve the crossword.

Across
1. Abundantly produced by the oceans
3. A large expanse of landmass
6. A large continent of which India is a part
8. A major source of pollution of the oceans
10. The coldest continent

Down
2. The largest island on Earth
4. A huge destructive wave from the ocean
5. The smallest continent
7. The largest body of water on the Earth
8. A landmass (but not a continent) surrounded by the sea or ocean
Answer:

Class 6 Social Science Question Answer

• Chapter 1 Locating Places on the Earth
• Chapter 2 Oceans and Continents
• Chapter 3 Landforms and Life
• Chapter 4 Timeline and Sources of History
• Chapter 5 India, That is Bharat
• Chapter 6 The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation
• Chapter 7 India’s Cultural Roots
• Chapter 8 Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’
• Chapter 9 Family and Community
• Chapter 10 Grassroots Democracy Part 1 Governance
• Chapter 11 Grassroots Democracy Part 2 Local Government in Rural Areas
• Chapter 12 Grassroots Democracy Part 3 Local Government in Urban Areas
• Chapter 13 The Value of Work
• Chapter 14 Economic Activities Around Us