Study Notes on some facts about important island of the world (Part 2)

Study Notes on some facts about important island of the world (Part 2)

Victoria: An island in the Canadian Arctic. It is the 9th largest island in the world. The surrounding region is administered and supplied from Cambridge Bay on the island's south-east coast.

Ellesmere: It is the northern most island of Canadian Arctic and the third largest island in Canada. It was discovered in 1616 by William Baffin. Fort Conger was the base from which Robert Peary led the first expedition to reach the North Pole in 1909.

Sulawesi: Formerly known as Celebes, it is one of the four large islands of Indonesia. It is situated between Borneo and Maluku islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory.

South New Zealand: Lying in the south Pacific, it is the largest island of New Zealand. It is dominated by the Southern Alps which stretch along its western coast and rise to 3764 m at Mt. Cook, New Zealand's highest peak. It was sighted by the Dutch navigator Tasman in 1642, and named after the Netherlands province of Zeeland.

 

Java: It is an island of Indonesia. With a population of about 137 million, it is the most populous island of the world. It is the home of to 60 per cent of Indonesia's population. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia is located along the west Java. Formed mostly as the result of volcanic events, Java is the thirteenth largest island in the world and the 5th largest island in Indonesia. Its highest elevation (Semeru) is 3676 m.

North Island of New Zealand: Lying in the South Pacific, it is the second largest island of New Zealand. Active volcanism occurs in the central region of North Island, with many hot springs, and geysers.

Luzon: It is the largest and economically and politically important island of Philippines. Manila, the capital of Philippines, is located on this island.

Newfoundland: The 16th largest island in the world, Newfoundland lies at the mouth St. Lawrence River, Canada. It was explored by John Cabot in 1497. It is a former colony of United Kingdom. It became the tenth province to the Confederation on 31st March, 1949, named simply as Newfoundland.

Cuba: Cuba, the largest island of Antilles, lies in the Caribbean Sea has a rainy, tropical climate. Sugarcane is the main crop of Cuba which occupies about 60 per cent of the cultivated land. Cubans call themselves 'Afro-Latin-Americans. Population of mixed descent (Mulattos) is 51 per cent, whites 37 per cent and blacks 11 per cent. Spanish is the main language. Havana, the capital and largest city of Cuba, is located on this island.

Iceland: Located between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, Iceland is an enormous plateau with an average altitude of 500 metres. Reykjavik is the capital and primate city of the country. About 96 per cent of Icelanders are the descendants of Norwegian, Scottish and Irish immigrants and are Protestants by faith.

Mindanao: It is the second largest and easternmost island of Philippines. The island of Mindanao is called The Land of Promise. Mindanao is the only area of Philippines with a significant Muslim population. A guerrilla war is ongoing on this island.

Ireland: An island of the British Isles lying west of Great Britain. Four - fifths of it is occupied by the Irish Republic, and remainder by Northern Ireland. Its economy rely heavily on agriculture, especially beef production and dairy farming, settled by Celts. Most of the people are Christians by faith.

some facts about important island of the world (Part 1)

some facts about important island of the world (Part 1)

What is Island?

An island can be defined as a piece of land that is surrounded by water. An island in a lake or river may be called an eyot or holm. A group of geologically or geographically related islands is called an archipelago.

Here are some facts about important island of the world

Greenland: The largest island in the world, lying to the northeast of North America and mostly within the Arctic Circle. Its total population is about 60,000. Its capital is Nuuk (Godithab). It was discovered and named by the Norse explorer Eric the Red in 986 A.D. and settled in coastal pockets by Norse colonies. Only five per cent of its area is habitable. The economy of Greenland is largely based on inshore and deep-water fishing.

New Guinea: New Guinea, the second largest island of the world is an island of the east Malay Archipelago to the north of Australia. It is divided between the independent state of Papua-New Guinea in the east and the Indonesian province of West Irian in the west.

Kalimantan: A region of Indonesia, comprising the southern part of the island of Borneo. It comprises of the Saba province of Malaysia, the country of Brunei and the Kalimantan province of Indonesia.

Madagascar: The fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar, lies in the Indian Ocean, off the east coast of Africa from which it is separated by the Mozambique Channel. Antananarivo is its capital. Rich in mica, graphite, and chromite, its chief exports include vanilla, coffee, clove and sugar.

Baffin: This is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest in the world. It is situated at the mouth of Hudson Bay. The western part largely remain covered with ice with extensive glaciers. Coastal fishing stations include Frobisher Bay, Cape Dyer, and Cane Dorset.

Sumatra: It is the seventh largest island of the world, separated from the Malaya Peninsula by the Strait of Malacca. Its largest city and port is Medan. It produces rubber and timber for export and its oil and other minerals provide three-quarters of Indonesian's income.

Honshu: It is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Nagoya are situated in this island. The highest mountain of Japan (Mt. Fuji - 3776 m), and the largest Lake Biwa lie on this island.

Great Britain (Britain): England, Wales, and Scotland considered as a unit is known as Great Britain. The name is also often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom.

Study Notes on Important Local winds of the World

Study Notes on Important Local winds of the World

Air temperature, land temperature, water temperature, mountains and geographical locations play critical roles in the behavior of the famous winds of the world. Some winds blow strong in the morning and fade out during the afternoon.

Cold winds:

•Mistral- Blows in Spain & France from N-W to S-E. Common during winter.

•Bora- Blows along the shores of the Adriatic sea.

•Blizzard -Snow laden wind in Canada.

•Purga- Snow laden wind in Russian tundra. Much like Buran.

•Bise- An extremely cold wind in France

•Levanter- Blows in strait of Gibraltar between Spain & Morocco.

•Pampero- Pampas of S. America

•Papagayo -Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua.

•Haboob- Sudan

•Friagem- Amazon Valley

•Buran -Eastern Russia & central Siberia

•Norther- Texas, Gulf of Mexico & western carribean

•Etesian- Eastern Mediterranean.

•Surazo -Cold wind blowing from Argentinean pampas & Patagonia.

•Norte -A strong cold northeasterly wind which blows in Mexico.

•Tehuantepecer -This is a violent, squally wind from north or north-east in S. Mexico.

•Alizé: also known as trade wind; blows in the tropics predominantly from the Northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the Southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.

Rock And their Formation

 Rock And their Formation

Types of Rock And their Formation

•Earth’s crust is composed of rocks. It’s an aggregate of one or more minerals. Rocks do not have definite composition of mineral constituents. However, feldspar and quartz are the most common minerals found in rocks. Petrology is science of rocks. It is a branch of geology. A petrologist studies rocks in all aspects – composition, texture, structure, origin, occurrence, alternation and relationship with other rocks.

•Based on their mode of formation, there are three different types of rocks:

•Igneous rocks – solidifies from magma and lava.

•Sedimentary rocks – the result of deposition of fragments of rocks by exogenous processes.

•Metamorphic rocks – formed out of existing rocks undergoing re-crystallization.

Igneous rocks:

•Igneous rock is formed when magma cools and solidifies, it may do this above or below the Earth's surface.

•Magma can be forced into rocks, blown out in volcanic explosions or forced to the surface as lava.

•The atoms and molecules of melted minerals are what make up magma.

•These atoms and molecule rearrange themselves into mineral grains as the magma cools, forming rock as the mineral grains grow together.

•There are over 700 different types of igneous rocks.

•Examples of igneous rocks include basalt, granite, pumice, obsidian, tuff, diorite, gabbro and andesite.

•Basalt forms the metamorphic rock granulite when subjected to extreme heat and pressure over time (metamorphism).

•Granite is a common rock that contains at least 25% quartz and is sometimes used in construction because of its strength.

•Pumice is an unusual, lightweight rock formed when molten rock is rapidly blown out of a volcano, forming bubbles as it quickly loses pressure and cools at the same time.

•Obsidian is a volcanic glass that forms quickly without crystal growth, it can have very sharp edges making it useful as a cutting tool or arrowhead.

•Tuff is a rock formed from volcanic ash.

•The upper section of the Earth's crust is made up of around 95% igneous rock.

Sedimentary rocks:

•Sedimentary rocks are formed by sediment that is deposited over time, usually as layers at the bottom of lakes and oceans.

•This sediment can include minerals, small pieces of plants and other organic matter.

•The sediment is compressed over a long period of time before consolidating into solid layers of rock.

•Sedimentary rocks forms layers called strata which can often be seen in exposed cliffs.

•Sedimentary rocks cover the majority of the Earth's rocky surface but only make up a small percentage of the Earth’s crust compared to metamorphic and igneous types of rocks.

•Examples of sedimentary rocks include limestone, sandstone, mudstone, greywacke, chalk, coal, claystone and flint.

•Limestone forms the metamorphic rock marble when subjected to extreme heat and pressure over time (metamorphism).

•Sandstone forms the metamorphic rock quartzite.

•Mudstone forms the metamorphic rock slate.

•Chalk is a soft, white form of limestone.

•Flint is a hard, sedimentary form of the mineral quartz.

Metamorphic rocks:

•The word metamorphic means ‘change of form’ these rocks form under action of Pressure, Volume, temperature changes.

•Metamorphic rocks have been changed over time by extreme pressure and heat.

•Metamorphic rocks can be formed by pressure deep under the Earth's surface, from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

•Uplift and erosion help bring metamorphic rock to the Earth's surface.

•Dynamic metamorphism: mechanical disruption due to breaking without any appreciable chemical changes.

•Thermal metamorphism: chemical alteration and recrystallization of rocks. It is of two types: A) Contact – rocks come in contact with hot intruding magma and rocks recrystallize under high temperature. 

B) Regional – recrystallization of rocks due to deformation caused by tectonic shearing together with high temperature or pressure or both.

•Foliation or lineation: During recrystallization, minerals might get arranged in layers or lines, this is termed as foliation.

•Banding: When minerals and materials of different groups are arranged into alternating thin to thick layers appearing in light and dark shades, they are called structures with banding, and rocks displaying banding are obviously called banded rocks

•Examples of metamorphic rocks include anthracite, quartzite, marble, slate, granulite, gneiss and schist.

•Anthracite is a type of coal with a high carbon count, few impurities and with a high lustre (meaning it looks shiny).

•Marble is a metamorphic rock that is formed from the sedimentary rock limestone.

•Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that is formed from the sedimentary rock sandstone.

•Slate is a metamorphic rock that is formed from the sedimentary rock mudstone.

•Granulite is a metamorphic rock that is formed from the igneous rock basalt.

Rock cycle

Any type of rocks changes into another type under heat, pressure, chemical change and other conditions. This conversion of rocks from one type to another is called rock cycle.

Example-Molten magma cools to form igneous-These igneous rocks breaks to form sedimentary rocks –under certain conditions sedimentary rocks converted into metamorphic rocks-These metamorphic rocks under great heat and pressure below the earth melts to form magma-These magma again when comes out on the earth surface forms igneous rocks.

Above process goes on and on several times, thus these process is called rock cycle.