Geography 1. Resources And Their Types

A material which is found in nature and is useful to human is called a resource.

Explanation – Resources are materials which help human beings to survive on earth and carry out their day-to-day activities. Resources include land, water, air etc.

Minerals once extracted cannot be replaced.

Explanation – Minerals are resources which fall into the category of exhaustible resources because the nature has a fixed amount of these resources, and are therefore not available in abundance.

Resources play a very important role in the economic development of a country.

Explanation –These valuable resources play a very important role in the day-to-day lives and also contributes towards development of people and the country by large. Resources are very important for survival of human being on earth.

Uranium is a metallic mineral.

Explanation – Metallic minerals are those which contain metals in their ore form whereas Non-metallic minerals are those which do not contain metals in their ore form.

Tropical regions have enormous potential to develop solar power.

Explanation – Solar energy is produced with the help of photovoltaic cells which stores sun’s energy. In tropical areas sun light is available for long time in day that’s why its easy to produce solar energy in tropical region.

Developed resources is a category of resources which have been and are already being used by human beings as against potential resources which have not been used. Example – Hydroelectric power

Wind energy is generated by using the wind to run turbines in areas where there is a constant flow of wind. Wind energy is a renewable source of energy.

In Tamil Nadu, Coal is mined in Neyveli which has large reserves of lignite, also known as brown coal.

Hydroelectric power is one of the most developed resources of the world. It is majorly generated by falling water.

1. The North Sea- the North Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean located between the United Kingdom. Many large oil fields are there in the North Sea.

2. Aralvaimozhi is a town in Kanyakumari district of the Tamilnadu state. This town is located near cost that’s why it is favourable for the production of wind energy.

3. A natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

4. Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam on the Yangtze river in China. It is the world’s largest hydropower project.

5. Thorium is a radioactive element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It can be used to produce energy through the radioactive process.

(i) Non-renewable Resources – These are exhaustible resources because nature has a fixed stock of them. They are consumed faster than the pace at which nature can replace them Examples include – Coal, Petroleum, Oil and Natural Gas.

(ii) Potential Resources- Potential Resources – On the basis of development and use, resources are classified into Developed and Potential resources. Potential resources refer to those resources which have not yet been utilized by human beings but can be used in the future. For example – the resources of Antarctica and Siberia or resources like or solar, wind and geothermal energy.

Wind energy is a type of renewable energy which is generated by using the wind to run turbines in areas where there is a constant flow of wind. It is the renewable type of energy that’s why very less harm on the environment.

Europe is a major user of wind energy with 20% of Denmark’s electricity coming from wind power.

India has the fourth largest installed wind power capacity in the world. In India, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have utilized Wind energy.

The survival of human beings and their progress has a direct relationship with the Earth’s natural resources. Some resources on earth are in limited amount and resources are very very important for the survival of human being on earth. That’s why we need to conserve resources and use them wisely.

There is a need to manage the non-renewable resources sustainably because these resources take hundreds of years to replenish. Thus, man must use resources wisely.

Coal

1. Coal is known as a fossil fuel because it was formed many million years ago.

2. It was formed as a result of large forests being buried in sedimentary basins by geological processes.

3. Over a period of time, the buried plant matter got converted into coal because of heat and pressure.

Oil

1. Oil is usually found in strata of marine sedimentary rocks like mudstone, shale, sandstone, etc.

2. The remains of plants and calcareous animals (shelled animals) were buried in the Earth’s surface which was in turn subjected to heat and pressure.

3. Under immense pressure, the buried remains turned into oil which can be found trapped in the pore spaces of the rocks.

Renewable resources are those resources which are infinitely available in nature and are constantly renewed. Renewable sources of energy are important as the amount of non-renewable resources is rapidly declining.

Hydroelectric power – It is generated from falling water and is used to produce electricity.

Solar Power – It is produced by storing the sun’s energy in the photovoltaic cells which can further be used to light homes, buildings, and heat water.

Wind Energy – It is generated by using the wind to run turbines in areas where there is a constant flow of wind.

Biomass – It is a popular source of power generation. Its main sources include trees, crops, agricultural and animal waste.

Non-renewable resources are those which take a very long period of time to replenish and are therefore called non-renewable in nature. Example – Coal, fossil fuel etc.

Natural Resources

Land

Vegetation

Coal

Wind

Rivers

Water

Minerals

Soil

Mountain

Sea

Wild life

Birds

Nuclear minerals

Human made Resources

Houses

Vegetation

Machines

Buildings

Factories

Computers

Synthetic materials

Railway lines

Solar power

(i)

(ii)

1. Ignore everything and keep moving with your family members happily to enjoy the travel.×

2. Switch off all the appliances (kitchen appliances, computer, etc).√

3. Close all the taps and water pump connections.√

4. Check the vehicles like motorbike or car especially it’s a fuel tank.√

5. Switch off all the lights, fan and televisions points.√

6. Ask your mother or father to check all the above.√

Following are the oil-producing countries of the world -

• U.S.A

• Saudi Arabia

• Iraq

• Iran

• UAE

• China

• Russia

The wind farm in The Gemini Wind farm in

Tamilnadu, India. The Netherlands.