CH-2

PEOPLE ON THE EARTH

1. Give a definition of "Human Geography" and mention its major branches.

Answer: Human Geography is the branch of Geography that studies the relationship between humans and the natural environment, and the human-made environment created by man, in terms of space and time.

The major branches of Human Geography are:

• Settlement Geography

• Social Geography

• Economic Geography

• Cultural Geography

• Political Geography

• Urban Geography

• Population Geography

• Medical Geography

• Historical Geography

• Geography of Regional Development and Planning

2. Briefly write about the subject matter of Human Geography.

Answer: The subject matter of Human Geography mainly deals with the study of how humans are related to the environment and how they change it. It focuses on human activities, population, customs, education, economy, and how these things vary in different parts of the world. Human Geography also looks into how people live, behave, and develop different cultures in different regions.

3. Write briefly what you mean by "human race".

Answer: A group of people having almost similar physical traits and skin colour and carrying breeds of similar characteristics from generation to generation through the general reproduction process is broadly termed as 'human race'.

4. Write briefly the bases or criteria of the division of the human race.

Answer: The human race is divided mainly based on physical characteristics like skin colour, hair colour and type, height, nose shape, and face structure. These differences happened because of the natural environment and climate in different regions of the world.

5. Discuss briefly the origin of humans and the human race.

Answer: According to scientists, human beings were born about 5–6 lakh years ago during the middle of the Pleistocene period. At that time, the climate was suitable, and through evolution from animals like monkeys and chimpanzees, humans called Homo sapiens appeared. It is believed that the first humans were born in central Africa and then slowly spread to other parts of the world. Due to changes in the environment and heredity, people developed different physical features, which led to the formation of different human races.

6. Divide men on the earth based on physical characteristics like hair, nose, face, height, skin, etc. OR/

7. Mention the characteristics of the three major human races in the world.

Answer: Human beings on Earth are divided into three major races based on physical characteristics like skin colour, hair type, nose and face shape, and height. These races are:

1. Caucasoid – World's largest race. Found in Europe, southern and western Asia. Includes Nordic, Alpine, Mediterranean, Indo-Aryan, and Semitic-Hamitic people. Skin is white to olive-brown, hair is straight or wavy (black or brown), and nose is sharp and narrow.

2. Negroid – Mostly in Africa, southern India, Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and Oceania. Includes Bantu, Bushman, Pigmy, Negrito, Melanesian, Australoid. They have dark skin, curly hair, broad noses, and tall bodies.

3. Mongoloid – Found in central, east, and southeast Asia. Includes Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Burmese, Thai, Malay, etc. Yellowish skin, straight hair, small eyes, flat faces. Bodo, Karbi, Mising, Garo, Rabha of Assam belong to this group.

8. Which regions of the world are considered the first origin of man? With the help of a sketch, briefly write about the spread and distribution of major human races in the world.

Answer: According to archaeology, the first origin of man was in the eastern part of tropical Africa at least one lakh years ago.

From there, human beings gradually spread to different parts of the world about 25 to 30 thousand years ago. Human races were later divided into three major types — Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid.

1. Caucasoid Race: With more than half of world's population the Caucasoids constitute the world's largest human race. The Nordic, Alpine and Mediterranean people of Europe; the Indo-Aryan people of southern Asia; and the Semitic-Hemitic people of western Asia belong to this racial group.

2. Negroid Race: The people of Negroid racial group largely live in the continent of Africa, southern India and Sri Lanka of Asia, some parts of south-east Asia and some places of Oceania. Includes Bantu, Bushman, Pigmy, Negrito, Melanesian, Australoid.

3. Mongoloid Race: The people of Mongoloid racial group largely live in central and east Asia and South-east Asia. The Chinese, Japa-nese, Korean, Burmese, Thai, Viet-namese, Khmer, Malay, etc belong to the Mongoloid racial group. Most of the tribal groups in Assam, viz. Bodo, Karbi. Mising Garo, Rabha, etc belong to the Mongoloid racial stock.

Due to wide intermixing and migration, pure racial groups are now difficult to find. People living today are mixed forms of different human races.

9. What are the major religions? Discuss the salient characteristics and distribution of these religious groups, along with their population size.

Answer: The four major religions of the world are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. These religions together cover about 75% of the world population.

1. Christianity – It is the largest religion in the world. Founded about 2000 years ago around the Greek and Roman civilizations. It believes in one God (Monotheistic). The two major groups are Roman Catholic and Protestant. Christians are widely spread in North and South America, Europe, Australia, and some parts of Asia and Africa. As per 2006 data, there are 213 crore Christians, making up 33% of the world population. The holy book is the Bible.

2. Islam – It is the second largest religion, founded about 1400 years ago in the Middle East by Prophet Mohammed. It is also a monotheistic religion, with two main divisions: Shia and Sunni. Islamic people live mainly in North Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South-East Asia. The total population is 135 crore, which is 21% of the world. Their holy book is the Quran.

3. Hinduism – It is the oldest religion in the world, started during the Vedic period, about 5000 years ago, in India. The vast landmass of India, located on east of the river Indus, is known as the birthplace of the Hindu religion. It believes in many Gods and Goddesses. Most Hindus live in India and Nepal, with smaller groups in Mauritius, Fiji, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, etc. According to 2006 data, 90 crore people follow Hinduism, which is 14% of the world’s population. The Vedas are the main holy books.

4. Buddhism – Around 2500 years ago, Buddhism was founded with some reforms in Hinduism in the Bodh Gaya region of northern India under the leadership of Gautam Buddha. It has two main groups – Hinayana and Mahayana. It spread to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Japan, Bhutan, etc. Around 38 crore people (about 6%) follow Buddhism. The holy book is the Tripitaka.

The rest 25% of the population follow other religions like Sikh, Jain, Jewish, Bahai, Confucian, and Chinese Folk Religion.

10. Write a brief about the religious composition and distribution of the population in India.

Answer: India is a land of many religious communities. According to 2001 Census data, 81.4 per cent of the country's population belongs to the Hindu religious group. Among the other religious groups, the people of the Islamic religion constitute 12.4 per cent, Christians 2.3 per cent, Sikhs 1.9 per cent and Buddhists 0.8 per cent.

In terms of distribution, most states in India are Hindu-dominated. But Jammu and Kashmir is dominated by Muslims, Punjab by Sikhs, and Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya by Christians. The Buddhist people mainly live in Sikkim, the western part of Arunachal Pradesh, the northern part of West Bengal and the northern part of Bihar. Besides, the Sikh people especially live in Punjab and Haryana, and most of the Jain people live in Rajasthan.

The state of Assam is also a land of people of many religions. Of the state's total population, the Hindu people constitute 64.9 per cent, Islam 30.9 per cent, Christian 3.7 per cent, Buddhist 0.2 per cent, Sikh 0.1 per cent and Jain 0.1 per cent.

11. Write short notes on:

(a) Man and Human Geography

Answer: Human Geography is a branch of Geography that studies the relationship between man and the natural environment, and the human-made environment created by man. It focuses on how people live, work, and change their surroundings over time and space. It includes many branches like population geography, settlement geography, economic geography, etc. It helps us understand the diversity of human life and activities across

different regions of the world.

(b) Human Race

Answer: Human race means a group of people having similar physical features like skin colour, hair type, height, nose, and face structure. All human beings belong to the species Homo sapiens, but due to climate and geographical differences, people developed different appearances. Based on physical traits, humans are divided into three major races: Caucasoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid, which have spread and mixed in different parts of the world.

(c) Negroid population group

Answer: The Negroid race is mainly found in Africa, southern India, Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and Oceania. They have dark or dark-brown skin, curly hair, broad and blunt noses, and are usually tall. The sub-races like the Nelotic-Hemitic of eastern Africa, Bantu of central and southern Africa, Bushman and Pigmy of western Africa, Negrito of southern India and south-east Asia, Melanesian of south-western Pacific ocean region, and Australoid of Oceania belong to the Negroid racial group.

(d) Religious Composition

Answer: Religious composition means the way people in the world follow different religions. There are many religions like Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Confucianism. Among them, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism are the four major religions, covering about 75% of the world population. The number of followers is not the same for each religion, and their distribution varies from place to place across the world.
(e) Buddhist Religion

Answer: Around 2500 years ago, Buddhism was founded with some reforms in Hinduism in the Bodh Gaya region of northern India under the leadership of Gautam Buddha. It has two main groups – Hinayana and Mahayana. It spread to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Japan, Bhutan, etc. Around 38 crore people (about 6%) follow Buddhism. The holy book is the Tripitaka, and the religion teaches peace, simplicity, and spiritual growth.

(f) People of the Christian religion in India

Answer: In India, Christians make up about 2.3% of the population according to the 2001 Census. They are mainly found in Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya, where they form the majority population. These states are known as Christian-dominated regions. Most Indian Christians belong to the Roman Catholic or Protestant groups. Christianity spread in India mainly through missionary activities, and is a minority religion in the country.

12. Choose the correct answer:

(a) When was the human being born on the earth?
(i) 5–6 lakh years ago
(ii) 1–2 lakh years ago
(iii) 50–60 lakh years ago
(iv) 10–12 lakh years ago

Answer: (i) 5–6 lakh years ago.

(b) Which is the largest religious group in terms of population?
(i) Islam
(ii) Hindu
(iii) Christian
(iv) Chinese Folk religion

Answer: (iii) Christian.

(c) In which continent did man appear/originate first?
(i) Asia
(ii) Africa
(iii) Europe
(iv) Oceania

Answer: (ii) Africa.

(d) With which racial group did the people of China belong?
(i) Caucasoid group
(ii) Negroid group
(iii) Mongoloid group
(iv) Australoid group

Answer: (iii) Mongoloid group.