Natural resources and their classification

All mankind, the development of social relations, world economic activity depend on the influence of many factors. These include the use of natural resources. The distribution of the resources of nature around the world is uneven. This is one of the stimuli for the development of economic ties between individual countries. The subject of this article is natural resources and their classification.

All objects of animate and inanimate nature that a person uses in the production system or to provide for his material or cultural needs are called natural resources. That is, they are a necessary condition for the normal life of people. This is a general concept of natural resources.

Practically in any field, humanity is using this potential. Sometimes this is not entirely rational. Resources and their types are classified according to various factors. Let us dwell on this in more detail.

Natural resources and their classification

They are divided according to the measure of consumption. There are often used and practically unused (unused) resources.

The sphere of economic activity, in which the resources of nature are used, classifies them into agricultural, industrial, construction, fuel and energy and food.

Depending on the origin and climatic features distinguish between mineral, plant, land, water and wildlife resources.

Natural resources and their classification depend on their limited use:

1. Resources that decrease as a result of use. They, in turn, are divided into those that can be restored, and those that do not recover. The first category includes resources that can be renewed with the speed of their use. These are water, land and air potentials. The second kind includes minerals that are not able to recover at the same speed with which they are used. They can not be renewed artificially.
2. A special kind of resources, whose reserves do not decrease, are inexhaustible. These include climate, solar energy, etc.

The use of natural potential was uneven. Human society as a result of its development has opened for itself all the new opportunities of the surrounding world. The significance of these or other resources became higher. For example, the water expanses were originally just an obstacle to the development of relations between individual peoples, until people learned how to overcome them. From that moment they became an integral part of economic activity.

As already mentioned, the distribution of natural resources across the planet is uneven. It depends on certain climate conditions, from the history of development and the formation of the earth's surface and other factors. In this connection, the concept of natural potential appeared. It means the availability of natural resources and features of the climate that are inherent in the area.

Man as a result of his activities can influence some resources. For example, increasing forest plantations and reclamation work can lead to changes in the better side of some natural factors.

Depending on the distribution of natural factors, it is possible to characterize the supply of resources to each region of the Earth. This indicator depends on the ratio of the amount of natural resources in a given territory to the volume of their use.

The presence of a certain type of resources determines the direction of economic activity of a particular state. Therefore, natural resources and their classification are necessary (for a more complete accounting and control of use).