8th CBSE Notes on Land and Soil

Land And Soil

16/09/2022

Date: 16/09/2022 Day : Friday

Que : How do characteristics of land affect the distribution of population and the lifestyle of the people live there ?

Answer : 

Population distribution is dependent largely on the characteristics of land in a region and climatic condition.

Characteristics of land	Distribution of Population	Reason	Areas
1. Desert	Very less	1. Scarcity of water and food 2. Harsh climatic and poor soil conditions 3.Not suitable for agriculture practice	Western part  of Rajasthan
2. Undulated Terrain	Moderate	1. Land slide prone area 2. Not much suitable for agriculture practice	North eastern states of India except Assam
3.Deltas or River plains	Very high	1. Abundant availability of water 2. Fertile soil for agriculture 3. Suitable climatic condition	States of Northern Great plain such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal etc.

Que : What is a land and what is the concept of Land use ?

Answer : 

1. Land is among the most important natural resources. 
2. It covers only about thirty per cent of the total area of the earth’s surface
3. Land is used for different purposes such as agriculture, forestry, mining, building houses, roads and setting up of industries. 
4. This is commonly termed as Land use. 
5. The use of land is determined by the physical factors such as topography, soil, climate, minerals and availability of water. 
6. Human factors such as population and technology are also important determinants of land use pattern. 

Que : How is land being degraded ?

Answer : 

Land is being get degrades due to following reasons 

1. Human activities like deforestation, Mining, construction of shopping complex, residential buildings, dams etc.
2. Over dosage of chemical fertilizers in agriculture
3. Soil erosion, wind erosion, water logging and acidic soil
4. Desertification results in land degradation
5. Over grassing by the cattle
6. Over exploitation of land
7. Natural factors like land slides, earthquake, drought also lead to land degradation

Que : Difference between Private land and community land  ?

Answer : 

Land owned by an individual is called private land, while land owned collectively by a community is called community land.

Que : What is soil and how is soil made fertile?

Answer : 

1. The thin layer of grainy substance covering the surface of the earth is called soil. 
2. It is closely linked to land. 
3. Landforms determine the type of soil. 
4. Soil is made up of organic matter, minerals and weathered rocks found on the earth. 
5. This happens through the process of weathering. 
6. The right mix of minerals and organic matter make the soil fertile

Que : What are the factors that cause landslides? What measures can be adopted to curb them ?

Answer : 

Landslides often occur together with earthquakes, floods, prolonged heavy rainfall and volcanoes.

Measures to control landslides are as follows:

1. Landslide-prone areas should be identified through hazard-mapping, and building houses in such regions should be avoided.
2. Retention walls should be built to stop land from sliding. 
3. Retention walls are walls constructed to hold the pressure of the soil at the edge of a slope.
4. Vegetation cover should be increased to curb landslides.
5. Control systems for surface water drainage should be built to regulate the movement of landslides, along with rainwater and spring flows

22/08/2023

Date: 22/08/2023 Day : Tuesday

Short answer questions 

Que 1: List the Naural resources whose availability affects the lifestyles of the people living in a region.

Land, soil, water and natural vegetation are the natural resources whose availability affects the lifestyles of the people living in a region.

Que 2: Mention the factors that affect the land use of an area.

Topography, soil, climatic conditions, presence of mineral reserves and availability of drinking water affects the land use of an area.

Que 3: What is the difference between private land and community land?

Land owned by an individual is called private land, while land owned collectively by a community is called community land.

Que 4: How is soil formed?

Soil is formed by the weathering of rocks.

Long answer questions

Que 1: How do characteristics of land affect the distribution of population and the lifestyle of the people living there?

1. Population distribution is dependent largely on the characteristics of land in a region.
2. In some areas like Thar Desert, Ladakh etc the surface of the land is uneven, irregular and non-conducive for crop growth.
3. In other places like Delta, Plains, the land is very fertile, with plenty of water thus supporting a large population. 
4. If we examine the distribution of the world’s population, we will observe that 
5. Countries like India and China are densely populated as they characterised by river valleys
6. While countries like Canada and Iceland are sparsely populated because of extreme climatic conditions and insufficient arable land 
7. Therefore, we can say that areas that offer suitable land for agriculture, along with moderate climatic conditions, are the most sought after by people to live in.

Que: What are the factors that cause landslides? What measures can be adopted to curb them?

1. Landslides often occur together with earthquakes, floods and volcanoes. 
2. A landslide caused by prolonged heavy rainfall can block the path of a river. 
3. Human activities like deforestation, overgrazing can also cause landslides.
4. In order to curb landslides, forest cover should be protected in hilly regions. 

Some measures to control damage posed by landslides are as follows:

1. Landslide-prone areas should be identified through hazard mapping, and building houses in such regions should be avoided.
2. Retention walls should be built to stop the land from sliding.
3. Vegetation cover should be increased to curb landslides.
4. Control systems for surface water drainage should be built to regulate the movement of landslides, along with rainwater and spring flows.

Que: Describe the factors that affect the physical and chemical characteristics of soil.

There are a number of factors that affect the physical and chemical properties of the soil in a landform.

• Parent rock: The parent rock, or the rock from which the soil is formed, influences the colour, texture, chemical properties, mineral content and permeability of the soil. 

• Climate: Climatic conditions like temperature and rainfall determine the rate of weathering and the formation of humus. 

• Relief: Steep slopes are more prone to soil erosion, and so have a thin layer of soil. On the other hand, low-lying, flat areas retain layers of sediments for longer periods and thus have a thick layer of soil. 

• Flora, fauna and micro-organisms: Living or organic matter, including plants, animals and microorganisms influence the rate of humus formation. 

• Time: The thickness of the soil profile is affected by the time taken in the formation of the soil. Older soil has a thicker soil profile due to the deposition and formation of several layers of soil over time. 

Que: Which measures can be adopted to prevent soil degradation and improve soil quality?

• Mulching: 

This process involves covering the bare ground between plants with a layer of organic material like straw. 

Mulching also helps reduce weed growth and increases the water-holding capacity of the soil. 

• Contour barriers: 

Contour barriers refer to barriers of stone, grass and soil built along the contour lines of a slope. Trenches are built in front of barriers to collect water and prevent it from flowing down the contours and washing away the soil. 

• Rock dams: 

These dams are created from piles of rocks that are stacked up to slow down the flow of water and prevent the formation of gullies. 

• Terrace farming: 

Terraces are created to provide broad flat surfaces on steep slopes for farming. 

• Intercropping: 

In this method, different crops are grown in alternate rows and are sown at different seasons. 

• Contour ploughing: 

In this method, the land is ploughed parallel to the contours of a slope. 

• Shelterbelts: 

In coastal and dry areas, rows of trees are planted to control the movement of 

wind, thus, protecting the soil from being blown away.