CLASS 8 GEOGRAPHY · NCERT · CH 2: LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES
NCERT-aligned Class 8 Geography topic. Every item is anchored to a real location on India's map — built for boards (CBSE, ICSE, state) and UPSC aspirants.
What share of Earth's surface is land + how much is habitable?
About 29% of Earth's surface is land (the other 71% is ocean). Of that land, a substantial share is unsuitable for human habitation — covered by polar ice, high mountains, hot + cold deserts, or dense forest. Practically, only around half of the total land area supports any meaningful settlement, agriculture, or industry. The combined effect: humans live on roughly 10-12% of the planet's surface.
How is the WORLD POPULATION distributed across the planet's LAND?
World population is staggeringly uneven across land. Approximately 90 PERCENT of humanity is concentrated on only about 30 PERCENT of the world's land surface — chiefly in fertile river plains (Gangetic, Yangtze, Nile), coastal lowlands, monsoon Asia, + European + North American manufacturing belts. The remaining 70% of land — mostly DESERTS, POLAR REGIONS, dense FORESTS, + high MOUNTAINS — supports only a small + sparse share of population. This distribution reflects accumulated human history of agriculture, urbanisation + economic geography rather than just physical possibility.
Why are some areas sparsely populated?
Rugged topography, steep mountain slopes, low-lying water-logged areas, deserts and thick forests are difficult to inhabit; plains and river valleys are densely populated.
What does LAND USE describe?
LAND USE refers to the SPECIFIC PURPOSE for which a piece of land is being used at a given time — for cultivation, for forest, for grazing, for residential housing, for industry, for transport infrastructure, or for waste/fallow. National + state governments track land use in CATEGORIES (e.g., "net area sown," "land under non-agricultural uses," "barren + uncultivable land") to plan agriculture + urban + industrial development.
What determines land use?
PHYSICAL factors (topography, soil, climate, minerals, water availability) + HUMAN factors (population, technology).
How do PRIVATE LAND and COMMUNITY LAND differ in Indian rural society?
PRIVATE LAND is held + cultivated by individual families with documented title — typically used for own farming or rented out. COMMUNITY LAND is held collectively by a village or tribal group + used for SHARED PURPOSES: grazing of cattle, collection of forest produce (fuelwood, medicinal herbs, edible fruits + tubers), water sources, religious sites. These resources — often called the COMMONS or COMMON PROPERTY RESOURCES — are critical for poor + tribal families who depend on the commons for daily subsistence. Encroachment by individuals or by the state has shrunk community lands dramatically in modern India.
Major threats to land?
Land degradation, landslides, soil erosion and desertification — driven by expansion of agriculture and construction activities, plus encroachment of common lands.
What are the main techniques used to CONSERVE LAND RESOURCES?
(i) AFFORESTATION — planting trees in degraded or barren land to restore tree cover + bind soil. (ii) LAND RECLAMATION — restoring waterlogged, saline, or eroded land back to productive use through drainage + soil treatment. (iii) REGULATED USE of CHEMICAL FERTILISERS + PESTICIDES — to prevent soil chemistry damage + groundwater contamination. (iv) CONTROL of OVERGRAZING — through pasture rotation + community grazing rules. (v) Protection of TOPSOIL from wind + water EROSION through contour ploughing, terracing, mulching. (vi) Promoting ORGANIC farming + crop rotation.
What is a LANDSLIDE + what triggers it?
A LANDSLIDE is the rapid DOWNHILL movement of soil, rock + debris under gravity along a slope. Common triggers: (i) prolonged or intense RAINFALL that saturates slope soils; (ii) EARTHQUAKES that destabilise slope material; (iii) VOLCANIC eruptions; (iv) river/glacier UNDERCUTTING of a slope; (v) DEFORESTATION + road construction that remove holding roots + vibrate hillsides; (vi) freeze-thaw cycles in cold mountain zones. India's landslide-prone regions: Western Ghats, Himalayan states (especially Uttarakhand + Himachal + Sikkim + Arunachal Pradesh), parts of the Nilgiris + Eastern Ghats.
Case study — Pangi village, Kinnaur (HP)?
Massive landslide near Reckong Peo damaged a 200-metre stretch of NH-22 (old Hindustan-Tibet road); triggered by INTENSE BLASTING — village was completely vacated.
Why are landslides dangerous beyond the immediate slope?
They can BLOCK rivers, forming temporary dams; when these burst, downstream settlements are devastated by flash floods.
Four broad mitigation techniques?
(i) HAZARD MAPPING to locate landslide-prone areas, (ii) construction of RETENTION WALLS, (iii) increase in VEGETATION COVER, (iv) surface DRAINAGE CONTROL works.
This topic is part of the NCERT Class 8 Geography syllabus, drawn from the chapter Ch 2: Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources. Content is cross-referenced against the latest NCERT textbook editions + standard reference works.
Use the interactive India map to learn land, soil, water resources the way memory works best — by spatial location. Each pin opens a flashcard. Mark "Knew it" or "Didn't know" to track your mastery over time.
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