6.4 Distribution of Natural Resources

2 min read•june 18, 2024

Karla Jauregui Sandoval

AP Environmental Science ♻️

252 resources

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Global Distribution

There is a significant global variation in the distribution of natural resources, with some regions being rich in certain resources and other regions being relatively poor. This variation is largely due to geological and geographic factors, such as the types of rocks and minerals that are present in a particular region and the availability of water, sunlight, and fertile soil.

For example, some regions of the world are rich in fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, while others have abundant deposits of minerals, such as copper, gold, and iron ore. Some regions have extensive forests and fertile soil, making them suitable for agriculture, while other regions are dry and arid, limiting their agricultural potential.

The distribution of natural resources can also be influenced by political, economic, and social factors, such as access to technology and infrastructure, trade policies, and the ability to exploit resources.

The global distribution of the world's natural resources is not equal and mostly depends on a region's geological history. A region's geological history can give an insight of what types of natural resources were able to develop there. Let's look at a few examples.

Canada, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Australia are examples of companies that are rich in natural resources such as oil reserves, natural gas, coal, or timber. This means that they have a negative reliance on energy dependency from other countries as they price their own energy.
Saudi Arabia's geological history of bodies of water allowed for the oxygen to decay to organic material to the bottom floor. The compression over time allowed for the formation of oil.