Physical Environment JSS1 Social Studies Lesson Note

 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT: MEANING, TYPES AND FEATURES.

An environment is a natural world in which people, animals, and plants live.Generally, it refers to everything within our surroundings.

Physical Environment therefore refers to all natural and non-natural things around us.It can also be regarded as our immediate environment.

TYPES OF PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

1.                   Natural environment: it includes; valleys forests, deserts, hills, mountains, rivers, grasslands, etc.
2.                   Non-natural environment or man-made: it includes; bridges, houses, hospitals, roads, vehicles, police stations, markets, schools, etc.

Features of the physical environment.

Nigeria’s physical environment features include;

1.           Relief
2.           Rivers
3.         Lakes
4.           Seasons
5.           Weather
6.           Vegetation.

RELIEF: This refers to land surface features above the sea level.

Relief can be classified into;

1.   Highland
2.   Low land

HIGHLAND:       It can be described as a mountainous or hilly section of a country. Examples are; idanre hill, Adamawa mountains, and Udi Nsukka plateau mountain.

LOW LAND: Low land can be referred to as plains, the Chad Basin plain, etc.

 IMPORTANCE OF HIGHLANDS AND LOWLANDS

Highlands

1.       They serve as easy defense during war
2.       They serve as tourist centers
3.       They are good sources of minerals like gold, tin, etc.
4.       Some help in the construction of hydro-electric power in Nigeria

Lowlands

1.         They serve as means of transportation e.g. roads, railways ports.
2.         They are good for agricultural purposes
3.         Suitable for human habitation
4.         They provide a good place for rearing animals

RIVERS: The two major sources of rivers in Nigeria are River Niger and Benue. Others are; River Ogun, Osun, ZamfaraAnambara, Cross Rivers, etc.

IMPORTANCE OR USES OF RIVERS IN NIGERIA

1.   They are used for domestic purposes such as drinking, washing, cooking, etc
2.   They provide employment opportunities for fishermen, shipbuilders, etc.
3.       They are used for generating electricity e.gKangi dam
4.   They are used by industries for production purposes. E.g. for production of soft drinks, bottled water, etc.
5.           They provide food for mankind e.g. fish, crayfish, etc.
6.           They are used in the construction of sea ports.

LAKES: A lake can be defined as a large area of water surrounded by land

SEASONS: There are two seasons in Nigeria

They are;

1.                   Wet season
2.                   Dry season

Wet Season: This is a period of rainfall and humidity. It falls between April and October and sometimes to November.

It is normally caused by southwest wind. This is a good period for farming activities in Nigeria.

Dry season: It is caused by North-East wind coming from the Sahara desert. It comes with harmattan, particularly in Northern Nigeria. The dry season starts from November to April.

WEATHER: This refers to the condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. The atmospheric conditions change from time to time.

CLIMATE: Climate refers to the average weather condition of a particular place over a while.

ELEMENTS OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE

1.         Temperature: This refers to the degree of coldness and hotness of a place at any particular time. Temperature is measured by “Thermometer”
2.         Rainfall: It is a situation where excess condensed water vapour in the atmosphere is released to the earth. It is measured by “rain gauge”.
3.     Wind: This is the movement of the air in a particular direction.It is measured by a “Wind vane and Anemometer”
4.     Air Pressure: Pressure can be defined as the force exerted by the atmosphere on the earth’s surface and other objects by air. It is measured through the “Mercury barometer and aneroid barometer”.
5.       Relative Humidity: This is the degree or amount of moisture (water present in the air) in the atmosphere. It is measured with a “hygrometer”.
6.         Clouds: These are tiny droplets of water vapor in the atmosphere.
7.      Sunshine: This is the direct light of the sun. It is the brightness of the sun.

VEGETATION: This refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is influenced by its climate.

There are three types of vegetation belts in Nigeria namely;

1.   Forest
2.   Savanna
3.   Montane

Forest: It contains trees such as Mangrove swamp forests and rainforests.

Savanna: It consists of trees covered with grasses and flowers located between trees. It can be further subdivided into Guinea Savanna, Sudan Savanna, and Sahel Savanna. 

Montane Vegetation: These are vegetations with trees and grasses. It can be found in Adamawa, Jos, etc.

Evaluation :

–          Define an environment

–          What is the physical environment?

–          State the types of physical environment and explain with examples

–        Highlight the features of the physical environment and explain with examples