The ocean floor has many interesting physical features. The crust of the ocean floor is made up of a thin layer called basalt, a type of volcanic rock. The main features of the ocean floor are: ♦ Continental Shelf ♦ Continental Slope ♦ Ocean Bed and Continental Rise ♦ Trench Ocean Trench is the area […]
Oceans are home to a variety of reptiles, which are invertebrates. Marine reptiles are found mainly in oceans in tropical and subtropical zones. Most of these reptiles are ferocious hunters and hunt upon squid, fish and shellfish. They have scaly skins, sharp teeth, big eyes for farsightedness, flippers or paddles to swim, four limbs and
Whales and dolphins are well-known ocean animals. Whales are found in all the major oceans of the world, from the Arctic and Antarctic oceans to the oceans and seas around the centre of the equator. Whales and dolphins frequently come on the ocean surface for air, because they breathe through lungs. They are categorised under
Sharks are the huge group of ferocious fish found in both cold and warm waters. They live at a depth of 2,000 m or below in the oceans. A shark typically has a tough skin that is dull grey in colour and is roughened by tooth-like scales. It has a cartilaginous skeleton. In general, sharks
A permanent or continuous movement of ocean water which is circular in nature is called an ocean current. Ocean currents form close to the surface of the ocean and the speed of their rotation is 3.2 to 6.5 km per hour. These currents affect the temperature of the air near its surface and this, in
Ocean: An ocean is a large expanse of sea that covers more than 75% of the entire Earth’s surface. This vastness gives a blue appearance to our planet when viewed from space. The ocean bed is composed of sand, gravel, mud and sediments. The average salinity of an ocean is 3.49% of the weight of
The Nile is the world’s longest river. Its name is derived from a Greek word Neilos, which means valley. It has a length of about 6,650 km and it lies in Africa, and flows through countries such as: Kenya, Eritrea, Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. This river has deep rooted links
Waterfall is a natural water-body. Water stream takes a sudden and steep drop in it, for example, at the edge of a cliff. Waterfall usually forms a pool at the bottom. And if the water in the pool overflows, it continues as a river or another waterfall. They are found in those regions where cliffs,
A spring is water stream flowing out from a natural opening or a crack in the ground. Springs can be found in the bottom of a valley or near the sides of hills or near any form of rock. They are classified into three categories: seepage, artesian and tubular springs. Seepage springs are small water
Any large water-body that is surrounded by land is called a lake. Lakes are generally defined as temporary water-bodies and are one of the most valuable and beautiful natural resources on the Earth. Lakes are found in every environment (mountains, deserts, plains or near seashores) and in all the continents. These vary greatly in length
Water on the Earth’s surface is categorised into two categories: salty water and fresh water. Fresh water is the water that contains less than 1000 milligrams per litre of dissolved solids (most often salt). Natural glaciers and icebergs, ice sheets and ice caps, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and groundwater in aquifers and underground
India is famous for its diverse wildlife, and dense and vast forest-cover. Forests cover the second largest land-share after agriculture, which is about 6,780,000 km2 (about 20.64% of the total land of the country). More than 45,000 plant species and more than 80,000 animal species thrive in the Indian forests. The several types of forests
Rainforests are the region of dense plantation and have a huge variety of flora and fauna. Some of the peculiar plants that possess striking features are given below.
The Monteverde cloud forest of Costa Rica is also known as the fog forest. These are tropical or subtropical evergreen forests. They are popular for 100% humidity and heavy rainfall, which is due to the surrounding clouds and mist. This forest contains short and crooked trees, trunks of which are usually covered with a thick
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo. It is located about 400 km off the south-eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. Madagascar as an island is a combination of plateaus, coastal plains and beaches. The tropical rainforests of Madagascar lie in the low-elevation, due to