NCERT Solutions for Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter 2 Oceans And Continents
Updated on 2026-09-05
About this chapter
About three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water and a little over one-fourth is land. That is why the Earth looks blue from space and early astronauts called it the ‘blue planet’ . The largest water bodies are the oceans — five of them: the Pacific (largest), the Atlantic , the Indian , the Southern (or Antarctic) and the Arctic (smallest). Their smaller extensions are called seas, bays and gulfs. The dividing lines between oceans are only conventions . In reality all the oceans are joined into one continuous body of water, and seawater — with its marine flora and fauna — flows freely from one to another. A large continuous expanse of land is a continent . Continents can be counted in several ways, from four to seven; the count of seven is the most widely used — Asia, Africa, North Ame
- Chapter opening
- The Earth seen from space (Fig. 2.1)
- The Distribution of Water and Land on the Earth (Fig. 2.2)
- Salt water, freshwater and water scarcity
- Oceans
- Oceans and disasters
- Continents
- The diagram of the relative sizes of the seven continents
- –39The chapter in three points
- –40End-of-chapter exercise
Exercises
- Chapter opening — The Big Questions Page 27
- The Earth seen from space (Fig. 2.1) — In-text Questions Page 28
- The Distribution of Water and Land on the Earth (Fig. 2.2) — LET'S EXPLORE Page 29
- Salt water, freshwater and water scarcity — THINK ABOUT IT Page 31
- Oceans — LET'S EXPLORE Page 32
- Oceans and disasters — In-text Questions Page 33
- Continents — In-text Questions Page 34
- The diagram of the relative sizes of the seven continents — LET'S EXPLORE Page 36
- –39The chapter in three points — Before we move on … Page 38
- –40End-of-chapter exercise — Questions, activities and projects Page 39