Social Science VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

The distribution of natural resources depends upon number of physical factors like terrain, climate and altitude. The distribution of resources is unequal because these factors differ so much over the earth.

S.No.	Ubiquitous Resources	Localised Resources
1.	Resources that are found everywhere are ubiquitous resources.	Resources that are found only in certain places are localized resources.
2.	Example: air we breathe.	Example: Copper and iron ore.

S.No.	Abiotic Resources	Biotic Resources
1.	Abiotic resources are non-living.	Biotic resources are living.
2.	Soils, rocks and minerals are abiotic resources.	Plants and animals are biotic resources.

People are considered a resource because people can make the best use of nature to create more resources when they have the knowledge, skill and the technology to do so.

Careless use of certain renewable resources like water, soil and forest can affect their stock. Water seems to be an unlimited renewable resource. But shortage and drying up of natural water sources is a major problem in many parts of the world today.

Biotic resources: All the living things are included in biotic resources.
Examples: Plants and animals.
Abiotic resources: Abiotic resources are non-living things.
Examples: Soils, rocks and minerals

Human beings are intelligent living beings. They can use their intelligence to realise the utility of substances. Had there been no humans, the resources would not have been resources. Human beings are interdependent on each other, and they prove useful to each other. For example, a postman renders us an important service, so he is a resource.

Potential resources are those resources whose entire quantity may not be known and these are not being used at present. These resources could be used in the future.
Example: Uranium found in Ladakh is an example of potential resource that could be used in the future.

Actual resources are those resources whose quantity is known. These resources are being used in the present.
Example: The rich deposits of coal in Ruhr region of Germany and Petroleum in the West Asia, the dark soils of the Deccan plateau in Maharashtra are all actual resources.

Some principles of sustainable development are:

1. Respect and care of all forms of life.
2. Improve the quality of human life.
3. Conserve the earth's vitality and diversity.
4. Minimise the depletion of natural resources.

High speed winds were a potential resource two hundred years ago. Today they are an actual resource and wind farms generate energy using windmills like in Netherlands, some in Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu and on the Gujarat coast.

The classification of natural resources depends upon:

1. Level of development and use.
2. On the basis of their origin.
3. On the basis of stock.
4. On the basis of distribution.

Resources are usually classified into three types which are:

1. Natural resources.
2. Human-made resources.
3. Human resources.