It is not easy to make a proper classification of the environment, looking at the diversity of the world in which we live. But there are two commonly known and accepted types of environment – natural or geographical environment, and man-made environment. Before discussing them, let’s have a look at what the environment is.
In simple words, the environment is the surroundings in which we live – it includes both the biotic and abiotic factors around us. We live in an environment, which may be a natural, social, or built environment. These are the surrounding conditions in which humans, plants, and animals live. Every individual existing in the environment has an impact on it because the environment also influences an individual's behavior. Thus, it can be clearly stated that individuals and the environment are related and are complementary to each other. The existence of the environment is significant because not only human life but any living being cannot survive without it. It provides natural beauty, maintains the balance of life, supports the food chain, and benefits living lives and their various activities.
The article answers the questions like what is the environment. It also discusses the different types of environments.
Components of Environment
The atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere make up the majority of the environment. However, it may be separated into two categories named, microenvironments and macro environments. The immediate local surroundings of an organism are known as the microenvironment whereas all the components including the biotic and abiotic factors make up the macro environment of an organism. The biotic component constitutes all the living things of environments, like microbe population, plants, and animals. Abiotic factors include temperature, light, rainfall, soil, minerals. It is sometimes referred to as the physical environment. It is made up of three layers: atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
Types of Environment
The classification of the environment broadly divides it into two categories – geographical and manmade environment, both the subsets are described below in the article.
Geographical Environment
Geographical environment is the terrestrial environment that is a creation of complex natural and environmental conditions. Although it arose independently of humankind, it is the complement of direct interaction between nature and human society. The geographical environment revolves around the subjects of climatology, geology, biogeography, etc. They are direct aspects of how human society conceptualizes the geography of the earth.
A geographical environment is also called a natural environment as it interacts with nature. The earth’s surface, rivers, mountains, deserts, land, water, oceans, volcanoes, etc. come under the natural environment examples.
Man-Made Environment
Man cannot directly live in the geographical environment, so he creates some of his environmental conditions to adjust to it. This is a man-made or human-made environment, a human creation. A man-made environment is also called a social environment. It has two types which are described here.
The inner environment is the social environment that endures as long as society cherishes. The inner environment has a profound impact on human lives. The inner environment is often called the 'social heritage' as it is an important factor for humankind to exist, live and arise. It is entirely dependent on human social influence.
The outer environment is the physical environment that man has created on his own with the evolving technology and science. It is the modification of the physical environment that has helped cope with the progress of mankind and the development of the environment. It includes city infrastructures, houses, various amenities provided at the social and individual level, transport and communication, and much more. It can be said that the outer environment changes more rapidly than the inner one because it is in the hand of man and his evolving technology.
In conclusion, we have understood what is an environment. We have also learned about the different classifications of the environment.
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FAQs
The three types of environment are:
- Internal environment.
- External macro environment.
- External micro environment.
The inner environment is often called the 'social heritage' as it is an important factor for humankind to exist, live and arise. It is entirely dependent on human social influence. The outer environment is the physical environment that man has created on his own with the evolving technology and science.
What are 4 natural environments? ›
Everything that is not human-made comes under natural environment. Land, air, water, plants and animals all comprise the natural environment. Let us learn about the different domains of the natural environment. These are the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.
What are the three types of physical environments? ›
What are the 3 types of physical environment? Three types of physical environment are tropical forests, deserts, and human-made landscapes.
What are the 3 levels of environment? ›
Looking at the environment, a distinction can be made on three levels: macro, meso and micro.
- Macro – contextual level. ...
- Meso – transactional level. ...
- Micro – organizational level.
The lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere are the three main components of the environment. The solid component of the earth is known as the lithosphere. The atmosphere is made up of gaseous layers that surround the earth. Oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other gases make up the atmosphere.
What are the 3 parts categories of the external environment? ›
In general, there are three major parts of external environment in business includes the general environment, the industrial environment and the competitor's environment.
Which is the internal environment? ›
The internal environment consists of members of the firm itself, investors in the firm, and the assets a firm has. Employees and managers are good examples; they are firm members who have skills and knowledge that are valuable assets to their firms.
Is the environment internal or external? ›
Internal environmental factors are events that occur within an organization. External environmental factors are events that take place outside of the organization and are harder to predict and control.
What is the 4 environment? ›
The four major components of environment include lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, corresponding to rocks, water, air and life respectively.
What is the geographical environment? Geographical environment is the natural environment and contains all the components of nature such as mountains, rivers, land, water, deserts, storms, etc.
What are the three categories of environmental? ›
Aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric
Based on the components, the environment may also be classified into (1) aquatic environment (marine, such as oceans and seas, and freshwaters, such as lakes and rivers), (2) terrestrial environment (land), and (3) atmospheric environment (air).
What is the inner environment? ›
The inner environment is a social environment that endures for as long as a civilization does. It has to do with rules, traditions, organisations, and institutions. It includes customs and folkways that can be found in any human community. Non-material culture, social heritage, and other terms are used to describe it.
What is the difference between Geography and environment? ›
Geography deals with the study of various components of environment, whereas environment is everything that makes up our surroundings and affects our ability to live on the Earth—the air we breathe, water that covers most of the Earth's surface and plants and animals around us.
What are the 3 environmental systems? ›
The major environmental systems are the atmosphere (air), biosphere (living organisms), hydrosphere (water), cryosphere (ice), pedosphere (soil), and lithosphere (rock). An ecosystem is the term for a local environmental system.
What are the 3 major categories of environmental problems? ›
Environmental problems can generally be grouped into three categories:
- Resource Depletion.
- Pollution.
- Loss of Biodiversity.
While many community dynamics are at work, three are particularly important to building healthy and prosperous communities over the long term: economy, ecology, and equity—the three E's. Economy is the management and use of resources to meet household and community needs.
What are the 3 fields of study in environmental science? ›
There are five major fields of environmental science; each one made up of multiple smaller disciplines. These five fields are atmospheric sciences, ecology, environmental chemistry, geosciences, and social sciences. Atmospheric sciences mostly deal with global warming and its effect.
