8th Class

Human Resources     Population is dynamic. It keeps on changing with time. In about the mid-nineteenth century, the world population was 1 billion. Hundred years later, it increased to about 2 billion and then in 30 years to 3 billion. By the end of the 20th century, it had reached 6 billion! In less than 40 years, the population doubled! The population is now growing at the rate of 1.3 per cent per year so it has been estimated that by 2025, it will reach 8 billion. In this context, is the population of a country is its greatest resource? Let us try to answer this question in this chapter.   MAN AS A RESOURCE   Our earth has mineral and power resources. Humans make use of these resources and produce useful products. They can use these resources either judiciously which helps in growth and development of more...

  Industries Comparative Case Studies     The world's major industries are the iron and steel industry, textile industry and information technology (IT) industry. The first two are very old industries while the last one is an emerging industry. Iron and steel industry is located in Germany, China, Japan, USA and Russia. Textile industry is concentrated in India, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea and Japan. The major hubs of the IT Industry are the Silicon Valley in Central California, Bengaluru in India and Taiwan and South Korea. In this chapter, we will do a comparative study of three major industries: iron and steel industry, (between Jamshedpur, India and Pittsburg, USA ;) textile industry (between Ahmedabad, India and Osaka, Japan) and finally the information technology industry (between Bengaluru, India and the Silicon Valley, USA).   IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY   The iron and steel industry is more...

  Industries     The word 'industry' refers to any economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials into finished products with the help of machines in factories. This process of changing the shape, form, size, texture and appearance of all primary product or raw material into the final product is called 'manufacturing'. We will learn about such industries in this chapter.   INDUSTRIES   Our earth is rich in resources provided by nature. These resources include forest products agricultural products and minerals. Some of these resources can be used directly but others have to be processed by manufacturing industries into finished products. They play an important role in modern times and satisfy man's growing needs and provide employment to millions of people in the world.   TYPES OF INDUSTRIES   Industries can be divided into three main types: ? (i) primary industries, (ii) secondary more...

  Agriculture     You often have bread and jam for breakfast. Roti and curry is common at lunch. Have you ever wondered where these come from? What bread and roti are made of? And where do we get our curries from? Well, bread is made from wheat flour which in turn is made from whole wheat. Wheat is grown in a farm by the farmer and so are rice, dal (lentils) and vegetables. The ripe crop is harvested and sold in the market. Growing crops involves various activities like sowing seeds, irrigating the field, removing weeds, applying fertilisers and manures and harvesting the crop when ripe. This process of cultivation of crops for food and fibre, and also rearing animals to sustain life is called agriculture. We will read about it in this chapter.   HUMAN OCCUPATIONS   The word agriculture is derived from Latin more...

  Mineral and Power Resources     To some extent our present civilisation has evolved by the use of minerals and energy resources. They provide the raw material to industries and energy to machinery; on which modern life depends. During the Stone Age, man used stones to make weapons. Then came the Bronze Age when man learnt the art of smelting ores. The Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age. This period was characterised by a widespread use of iron. In this chapter we will learn about various mineral and power resources.   MINERAL RESOURCES   Our earth has some natural substances in rocks soil and sea beds. These natural substances found in nature, that have a definite chemical composition are called minerals. Minerals can be identified on the basis of their physical properties such as colour, lustre, density, hardness and chemical properties such as more...

  Natural Resources-Land Soil, Water, Vegetation and Wildlife     We have learned in the previous chapter that land, air, water, sunlight, soil, minerals, natural vegetation and wildlife; are all natural resources. Since early days, man lias been using these resources for his survival and development. Trees have been felled to provide wood, cellulose, paper, resins, medicines, etc. Wind, sunlight, running water, etc., have been used to extract energy from them. Domestication of animals changed man's life too. In this chapter, we will read in detail about these natural resources and how they help us.   LAND   Land is the most important natural resource. It supports all living organisms including plants and animals. All our needs are fulfilled through land. We make our houses, grow crops, develop transport etc. on the land. However, the earth has a limited supply of land. Only about 30 per cent more...

  Resources     Look and see the beautiful world around you. The flowers blooming in the garden, the bees and butterflies humming on them, the carpet of grass, the soft breeze, the warmth of the Sun, the flowing streams, the snow-covered mountain tops, the moonlit night, the chirping birds in their nests, and the blue sky. Nature's gifts are many. Some of the things that nature provides us are essential for our survival on the earth while some others satisfy our wants.   Since time immemorial, humans have struggled hard and extracted materials from nature which could be processed into products. With the passage of time, humans have made unbelievable progress on the technological and the economic front. These developments have raised their standard of living. All this has been possible due to the availability of various resources.   WHAT ARE RESOURCES? Resources can be defined more...

  Independence and Aftermath     Freedom and independence came to India with a heavy price. The journey after independence was not a smooth one either. The young nation had suffered the throes of partition at its very birth. Many challenges lay ahead?both within the country and outside. After overcoming many obstacles, today, India is emerging as the world's largest democracy and one of the fastest-growing economies of the world.   Two nations were created on 14th August, 1947. India, the largest democracy in the world, came into being; symbolising a new hope, a new promise to the millions of people who had till then been under the British flag.   CHALLENGES BEFORE INDEPENDENT INDIA   REHABILITATION OF REFUGEES The partition caused mass movement more...

  The National Movement       After the Revolt of 1857, the English East India Company was replaced by the British Crown. Many Indians were optimistic and expected a new beginning but the British continued their oppressive and repressive policies. The Indians realised that their welfare was not a matter of concern for the British government. This gradually led to the development of nationalist feeling. The stage was now set for India's independence and only a final step was needed to achieve this goal.     After the Battle of Plassey, India was politically and economically controlled by the English East India Company. India was converted to a British colony. The British ruled India to promote their own interests. They utilised the resources of India for their own advantage. Indians realized this, and the realisation led to the more...

  Changes in the Arts   'When you look at a painting, what do you see?' asked the art teacher in the class. The students replied, 'the person or the object which is in the painting'. 'Then you missed the actual message, the teacher said. 'You should try to visualise the story behind the picture, or the message the picture is trying to convey.' Art in any form?sculpture, painting, photography and even architecture?is a reflection of an artist's mind. An artist from a developed country is likely to depict castles and flourishing fields while an artist from a war-torn nation might depict barren farms and burning towns in his/her work.   Colonial rule had its impact in every sphere of life in India. It influenced art, architecture and painting too. Later on, as the camera became popular, photography also underwent change. New more...