Resources

Resources

 Learning Objectives

* Understand the classi cation of resources.

* Estimate the world reserves of the resources.

* Reason out why there is an uneven distribution of resources.

* Describe the methods of conserving the resources.

Introduction

Have you heard about Voyager 1 launched in 1977 still is travelling at the speed of 62140 km/ hour or 17 km/sec.? Do you know what fuel is used in it? It is hydrazine. What, do you think, would be the future fuel? It is certainly going to be hydrogen. Think about how hydrogen stands as an important future fuel.

A resource is a naturally occurring exploitable material that a society perceives to be useful to its economic and material wellbeing. Willing, healthy and skilled workers also constitute a valuable resource, but without access to materials such as fertile soil or petroleum, human resources are limited in their effectiveness.

Resources are the basis of the economic development of any nation. Different countries are at different levels of economic development primarily because of the variation in the availability of natural resources. The US and west European countries are economically prosperous because they possess vast natural and human resources and technology. On the other hand, in most parts of Africa and Asia, though they are naturally rich in resources, due to their lack of knowledge, the resources are unutilised and they are not used in the service of man.