Natural resources of the world table. Natural resources of planet earth. Provision of countries with mineral resources
The types and geography of the world's natural resources influence how the economy and society develop in a given region. The concept of them is constantly changing along with the acquisition of new knowledge by man and the development of science and technology. What types of natural ingredients are used now? How are they distributed across the planet? We will present the characteristics of the world's natural resources in this article.
How have resources changed over time?
Natural resources are objects and forces of nature that society uses for its own purposes. Throughout the existence of people, they have not been the same. More and more new components of nature were being discovered, and familiar objects were finding new uses.
The first historical and cultural periods of human development were even named based on the types of basic resources that were used to make tools. So, at the beginning, historians identified the Stone Age. During this period, people used flint, sandstone, basalts, and limestone. At the same time, wood, bones and animal horns were used, and later clay was also used.
The era of stone began to give way to copper, then bronze, and then iron. In total, before our era, people knew seven metals: gold, silver, mercury, iron, copper, tin, lead. They were used to make weapons, household items, jewelry, money and medicine. At the same time, man learned to use biological and climatic resources: to domesticate animals and grow plants.
When agriculture became one of the main activities, another resource appeared - human. During the Middle Ages, African slaves were used as the main labor force on plantations until the early 19th century. Over time, manual labor was replaced by machine labor. The types of natural resources have remained virtually unchanged, but the amount of their production has increased hundreds of times. This situation continues to this day, and the problem of their shortage in the future is already brewing.
Resource classification
All components of nature used by humans can be divided into several groups. By the nature of their replaceability, they can be replaceable and irreplaceable. Depending on their origin, they are divided into:
- Mineral.
- Aquatic.
- Land.
- Biological.
- Climatic.
According to the area in which they are usually used, they are distinguished:
- Recreational.
- Agricultural.
- Industrial.
- Potentially promising.
Not all types of natural resources can be used for the same long time and they cannot be restored after use. Based on this, resources are allocated:
- Exhaustible:
- Renewable (biological).
- Non-renewable (land and mineral).
- Relatively renewable (arable lands, regional water resources, mature forests).
- Inexhaustible (climatic, water, energy of the Sun, wind, flowing water).
Geography of the world's natural resources
Both on the surface of the Earth and within each state, resources are distributed unevenly. The USA, Russia and China are considered the most wealthy. However, no one has a complete set of all the necessary components, so each country in one way or another depends on imports. For example, the United States is forced to purchase chromium, manganese, and uranium abroad.
The geography of the world's natural resources is determined by climatic conditions and the geological history of the regions. Thus, the bulk of forest resources are concentrated in the taiga zone, mountain ranges are rich in deposits of non-ferrous metal ores, and oil and gas are concentrated in tectonic troughs. Most of the fresh water is concentrated in the glaciers of Greenland and Antarctica.
The geography of the world's natural resources determines the economic specifics of states, as well as their foreign policy. But, oddly enough, it does not always directly affect their economic development. For example, Brazil, India and Argentina have significant reserves of resources. However, in terms of living standards, they are much inferior to Japan - one of the poorest countries in resources, which imports about 90-95% of the necessary raw materials.
There are practically no countries completely deprived of resources, but there are those that mainly specialize in one specific type of resource. For example, the main raw material mined in Morocco is phosphorites, in Moldova it is limestone, in Kuwait it is oil, and in Estonia it is oil shale.
Minerals
Mineral resources are the basis of the industry. They play a significant role in the economy of any state. Depending on their origin and the area where they are used, mineral resources are divided into:
- Ore (various metals).
- Non-metallic (pyrites, bauxites, sand, limestones, precious and semi-precious stones, etc.).
- Fuel and energy (oil, gas, coal, peat, used as fuel).
Russia, the USA, China, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, and Australia are famous for the greatest variety of these resources. At the same time, the most important and popular raw material today is oil. The largest proven reserves of this fuel are in Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE and Russia. Black gold deposits are often accompanied by natural gas deposits.
Ore mineral resources are non-ferrous, ferrous and precious metals. Iron ore is one of the most in demand. Of its 160 billion global reserves, about 20% belongs to Brazil and Russia. The leaders in its deposits are also considered to be Ukraine, China, India, Australia, and the USA.
Non-metallic minerals are used for very different purposes. They are used as ornamental and building materials, and they are used to make fertilizers and natural dyes. Some species are used in decorations. Precious stones are mined in India, South Africa, Russia, Thailand, Burma, Brazil, and Madagascar.
Energy resource
Energy natural resources include all types of natural components from which energy is obtained. This often includes fossil fuels that are used as fuel. This could also include fossil fuels to produce nuclear energy, which powers most power plants. Uranium is such a resource. Its reserves are located in the countries of the former USSR, North America, South Africa, Australia and Brazil.
Energy also includes inexhaustible natural resources. Their use is now only gaining momentum, and is being developed to replace harmful and dangerous nuclear energy. The energy obtained on their basis is called alternative. It does not pollute the environment, using only the natural potential of the planet. Alternative sources are the energy of mountain rivers and waves, the Sun, wind and underground resources.
Solar energy is considered the most promising, but it is highly dependent on weather conditions. Geothermal energy is the energy of the planet's interior, obtained from heating substances underground. It is used in Iceland, New Zealand, France, Lithuania, Japan, Kenya.
Wind energy is developing especially intensively. Generators in the form of huge mills can now be seen in Germany, Ireland, and Spain. In Portugal, they produce 28% of electricity, in Denmark - about 40%.
World waters
Water resources are all surface and groundwater that can be used by humans. This includes rivers, lakes, underground springs, reservoirs, ponds, glaciers and even vapors in the atmosphere.
Water is the most valuable component, without which no living creature can survive. Transitioning into various states, it constantly circulates in the world and is considered an inexhaustible natural resource. However, this is quite relative, in view of its large-scale pollution at present.
The total amount of all world waters is 1390 million km 3. But only 3% of them are insipid, and yet they are the most necessary and useful. Only fresh water is used in production and everyday life; on average, it is 650 m3 per year per inhabitant of the planet.
But the bulk of its reserves are in glaciers. The greatest fresh river flow occurs in areas of Asia and South America. But more than half of the land areas experience a shortage of drinking sources. Among the countries most endowed with water resources are Brazil, Russia, Canada, and the United States, but Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have the least amount of fresh water sources.
Forests
Over the course of several hundred years, the area of forest resources has been halved. But even now they cover 30% of the planet’s territory. In the Northern Hemisphere, they are represented predominantly by coniferous and mixed forests, with the greatest concentration in the temperate zone. In the Southern Hemisphere they are represented mainly by deciduous tropical and equatorial forests.
Forests are a source of wood, a reliable protector of soils from erosion, drying out and landslides. They produce oxygen by processing carbon dioxide and ridding the atmosphere of its excess.
The territory of Suriname, Guyana and Gabon is covered by forests by 90-80%. More than half of the country's landmass is covered by forests in Malaysia, Myanmar, Ecuador, Laos, and Japan. However, in terms of the total area of these resources, Russia, Brazil, Canada and the USA are in the lead.
There are also practically treeless countries. They are located in regions with a hot, dry climate and are covered with lifeless deserts. Among them are the UAE, Bahrain, Libya, Chad, Qatar.
Russian resources
Of all the countries in the world, Russia has the largest area. It occupies a third of the Eurasian continent and borders eighteen countries. Russia's natural resources cover 20% of the world's reserves. Moreover, this includes almost all of their types.
The country's economy is based on a strong mineral resource base. The state occupies a leading position in the world in terms of reserves of gold, silver, nickel, platinum group metals and diamonds. In addition, there are significant reserves of lead, zinc, potassium salts and iron. Oil accounts for up to 12% of world reserves, gas for up to 32%, and coal for approximately 11%.
Despite the large number of deposits found, the quality of the raw materials is not always high. Because of this, their industrial processing is negligible. Among such natural resources of Russia are bauxite, lead, zinc, mercury, titanium, molybdenum, tin, and copper.
In terms of arable land area, Russia ranks fourth in the world. Only Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia are ahead of it. At the same time, the depletion of natural resources is great and more than 50% of these lands are subject to destructive processes.
Water resources are represented by five million rivers and lakes. Most of them are located in the Far East, Siberia and the northern regions of the European part of Russia, where the main forest area is also located. At the same time, many of the large reservoirs are polluted by industrial waste and do not meet quality standards.
Resources of Europe
Europe's natural resources are diverse, but their quantity is not very large compared to other vast regions of the world. Significant differences are observed between the southern and northern regions.
The main part of recreational resources is concentrated in the south of the region. There is also a folded area that created the conditions for deposits of sedimentary and igneous minerals. There is sulfur, mercury, coal, bauxite, and ores of various metals. In the northern part, fuel minerals predominate: oil, gas, peat (Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Great Britain, Ireland).
Forest natural resources of Europe predominate in the northern and eastern countries of the region. They also have a large number of reservoirs and arable land. There are fertile soils in Moldova, Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Slovakia, and Germany. The Vatican, Monaco, and Gibraltar are distinguished by the absence or weakness of their resource base due to their small area.
Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland (geothermal potential) have hydropower resources. Countries with access to the sea have large reserves of fish resources and seafood.
Natural resource assessment
Currently, the world population is 7.5 billion people. According to the forecast, it will continue to increase and in just 10 years there will be a billion more of us. At the same time, the extraction of natural resources is also increasing, but the quantity of many of them is extremely limited.
Technologies for obtaining most raw materials are also ineffective. In most cases, production uses half or less of the extracted raw materials. The rest is lost during initial processing. The situation is no better with renewable resources. Due to thoughtless consumption, it is becoming increasingly difficult to restore resources. So, in order to restore the amount of raw materials that humanity currently consumes in a year, it will take a year and a half.
It is estimated that some natural resources will run out within the next hundred years. For example, oil should last humanity for an average of 50-60 years, gas - about 10-20 years longer. Coal, according to forecasts, will last for another 200-400 years. If the rate of metal extraction does not increase, then we will have enough iron for about 250 years, aluminum for 100. Lead, zinc, and copper should be used up most quickly, which will only last for a couple of decades.
Depletion of natural resources remains one of today's major problems. Even renewable resources can become exhaustible if their use is not controlled and everything around is thoughtlessly destroyed for temporary comfort.
Practical work No. 1
North America is well endowed with natural resources such as oil, gas, coal, iron ore, non-ferrous and precious metal ores, and uranium ores. Large reserves of land, water and forest resources.
The most affluent countries are Canada and the USA.
South America is endowed with ferrous and non-ferrous metal ores and oil.
The most affluent countries are Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, and Chile.
Europe – there are large reserves of coal and iron ore.
The most affluent countries are France, Germany, Norway, Sweden.
The post-Soviet space has huge reserves of gas, oil, coal, ferrous, non-ferrous, precious and rare earth metals, uranium ores, land, water and forest resources.
The most affluent countries are Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine.
South Asia – iron ore, precious metals, uranium ores. There are not enough land, water and forest resources. The most affluent country is India.
East Asia - iron ore, ores of non-ferrous and rare earth metals, oil, gas, coal, uranium ores, water and forest resources, land resources.
The most affluent countries are China and Mongolia.
Southeast Asia – oil, gas, non-ferrous metal ores, water and forest resources.
The most affluent countries are Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam.
North Africa – oil, gas. There are not enough land, water and forest resources.
The most affluent countries are Algeria and Libya.
Sub-Saharan Africa - ores of non-ferrous and precious metals, precious stones, phosphorites, uranium ores, forest and water resources.
The most affluent countries are South Africa, DRC, Nigeria.
Australia and Oceania - iron ore, ores of non-ferrous and precious metals, uranium ores, coal. There are not enough water and forest resources.
The most affluent countries are Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand.
Mineral resources, after completion of their exploration and extraction, as well as biological resources and even water and air, become raw materials for various sectors of the economy. Raw materials used in production are transformed into economic resources of society (other economic resources are capital, labor resources and entrepreneurial opportunities). Ultimately, the used natural resources, after a certain technological processing, appear in the form of tools and means of labor and various material goods.
Although the Earth has large and varied natural resources, the supply of different types is not equal and they are unevenly distributed. Therefore, individual countries and regions have different resource availability. The relationship between the volume of natural resources and the volume of their use, that is, resource availability, is expressed either by the number of years for which resources of a given type should be sufficient, or by the reserves of a certain resource per capita at the existing level of consumption.
According to scientists' calculations, the world's geological reserves of mineral fuel exceed 12.5 trillion. t of standard fuel. This means that at the current level of production they can last for more than 1000 years! However, if we take into account the reserves available for extraction (including taking into account their placement), as well as the constant increase in consumption, such provision will be reduced several times.
It is clear that in the long term, the level of security depends on which class of natural resources one or another type belongs to - exhaustible (non-renewable and renewable) or inexhaustible resources.
Many countries of the world have reserves of world significance of one or more types of resources. For example, the countries of the Near and Middle East are distinguished by significant oil and gas reserves.
| Countries | Reserves, billion tons | Production, million tons | |||||
| oil | coal | iron ores | oil | coal | iron ores | ||
| The whole world | 139,7 | ||||||
| Russia | 6,7 | ||||||
| Germany | 0,2 | ||||||
| China | 3,9 | 2,9 | |||||
| Saudi Arabia | 35,5 | ||||||
| India | 0,6 | 19,3 | |||||
| USA | 3,0 | 25,4 | |||||
| Canada | 0,7 | 25,3 | |||||
| Brazil | 0,7 | 49,3 | |||||
| South Africa | 9,4 | ||||||
| Australia | 0,2 | 23,4 | |||||
Conclusion: The reserves of certain types of natural resources in different countries of the world are far from equal. Only a few states possess almost all known natural resources - territorial, mineral, forest, water, land, etc. The supply of the entire world with certain types of resources, according to scientists, ranges from several to hundreds of years. At the same time, the resource availability of some countries (or regions) may be low, while others may be quite high.
The topic "Geography of the world's natural resources" is one of the central topics in the school geography course. What are natural resources? What types of them stand out, and how are they distributed across the planet? What factors determine geography? Read about this in the article.
What are natural resources?
The geography of the world's natural resources is extremely important for understanding the development of the world economy and the economies of individual states. This concept can be interpreted in different ways. In the broadest sense, this is the entire complex of natural benefits necessary for humans. In a narrow sense, natural resources mean a set of goods of natural origin that can serve as sources for production.
Natural resources are not just used in economic activities. Without them, in fact, the existence of human society as such is impossible. One of the most important and pressing problems of modern geographical science is the geography of the world's natural resources (10th grade of secondary school). Both geographers and economists study this issue.
Classification of the Earth's natural resources
The planet's natural resources are classified according to various criteria. Thus, they distinguish between exhaustible and inexhaustible resources, as well as partially renewable ones. According to the prospects for their use, natural resources are divided into industrial, agricultural, energy, recreational and tourist, etc.
According to genetic classification, natural resources include:
- mineral;
- land;
- aquatic;
- forest;
- biological (including resources of the World Ocean);
- energy;
- climatic;
- recreational.
Features of the planetary distribution of natural resources
What features does geography represent? How are they distributed across the planet?
It is immediately worth noting that the world's natural resources are distributed extremely unevenly between states. Thus, nature has endowed several countries (such as Russia, the USA or Australia) with a wide range of minerals. Others (for example, Japan or Moldova) have to be content with only two or three types of mineral raw materials.
As for consumption volumes, about 70% of the world's natural resources are used by the countries of the USA, Canada and Japan, where no more than nine percent of the world's population lives. But a group of developing countries, which account for about 60% of the world's population, consume only 15% of the planet's natural resources.
The geography of the world's natural resources is uneven not only in relation to minerals. In terms of forest, land, and water resources, countries and continents also differ greatly from each other. Thus, most of the planet's fresh water is concentrated in the glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland - regions with minimal population. At the same time, dozens of African states are experiencing acute
Such an uneven geography of the world's natural resources forces many countries to solve the problem of their shortage in different ways. Some do this by actively financing geological exploration activities, others are introducing the latest energy-saving technologies and minimizing the material consumption of their production.
World natural resources (mineral) and their distribution
Mineral raw materials are natural components (substances) that are used by humans in production or to generate electricity. Mineral resources are important for the economy of any state. Our planet's crust contains about two hundred minerals. 160 of them are actively mined by humans. Depending on the method and scope of use, mineral resources are divided into several types:
Perhaps the most important mineral resource today is oil. It is rightly called “black gold”; major wars were (and are still being) fought for it. Typically, oil occurs along with associated natural gas. The main regions for the extraction of these resources in the world are Alaska, Texas, the Middle East, and Mexico. Another fuel resource is coal (hard and brown). It is mined in many countries (more than 70).
Ore mineral resources include ores of ferrous, non-ferrous and precious metals. Geological deposits of these minerals often have a clear connection to the zones of crystalline shields - protrusions of the platform foundations.
Non-metallic mineral resources have completely different uses. Thus, granite and asbestos are used in the construction industry, potassium salts - in the production of fertilizers, graphite - in nuclear energy, etc. The geography of the world's natural resources is presented in more detail below. The table includes a list of the most important and sought-after minerals.
Mineral resource | Leading countries in its production |
Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, USA, Iran |
|
Coal | USA, Russia, India, China, Australia |
Oil shale | China, USA, Estonia, Sweden, Germany |
Iron ore | Russia, China, Ukraine, Brazil, India |
Manganese ore | China, Australia, South Africa, Ukraine, Gabon |
Copper ores | Chile, USA, Peru, Zambia, DR Congo |
Uranium ores | Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada, Niger, Namibia |
Nickel ores | Canada, Russia, Australia, Philippines, New Caledonia |
Australia, Brazil, India, China, Guinea |
|
USA, South Africa, Canada, Russia, Australia |
|
South Africa, Australia, Russia, Namibia, Botswana |
|
Phosphorites | USA, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Iraq |
France, Greece, Norway, Germany, Ukraine |
|
Potassium salt | Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Belarus, China |
Native sulfur | USA, Mexico, Iraq, Ukraine, Poland |
Land resources and their geography
Land resources are one of the most important resources of the planet and of any country in the world. This concept refers to the part of the Earth's surface suitable for life, construction and agriculture. The global land fund is about 13 billion hectares of area. It includes:
Different countries have different land resources. Some have vast expanses of free land at their disposal (Russia, Ukraine), while others experience an acute shortage of free space (Japan, Denmark). Agricultural land is extremely unevenly distributed: about 60% of the world's arable land is in Eurasia, while Australia has only 3%.
Water resources and their geography
Water is the most abundant and most important mineral on Earth. It was in it that earthly life originated, and it is water that is necessary for every living organism. The planet's water resources mean all surface and underground water that is used by humans or can be used in the future. Fresh water is especially in demand. It is used in everyday life, in production and in the agricultural sector. The maximum reserves of fresh river flow fall in Asia and Latin America, and the minimum in Australia and Africa. Moreover, on one third of the world's landmass the problem with fresh water is especially acute.
The richest countries in the world in terms of freshwater reserves include Brazil, Russia, Canada, China and the USA. But the five countries least supplied with fresh water look like this: Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Jordan.
Forest resources and their geography
Forests are often called the “lungs” of our planet. And completely justified. After all, they play an important climate-forming, water-protection, and recreational role. Forest resources include forests themselves, as well as all their useful qualities - protective, recreational, medicinal, etc.
According to statistics, about 25% of the earth's land is covered by forests. The bulk of them are in the so-called “northern forest belt,” which includes countries such as Russia, Canada, the USA, Sweden, and Finland.
The table below shows the countries that are leaders in terms of forest cover in their territories:
Percentage of area covered by forests |
|
French Guiana | |
Mozambique | |
Biological resources of the planet
Biological resources are all plant and animal organisms that are used by humans for various purposes. Floristic resources are more in demand in the modern world. In total, there are about six thousand species of cultivated plants on the planet. However, only one hundred of them are widely distributed throughout the world. In addition to cultivated plants, people actively breed livestock and poultry and use strains of bacteria in agriculture and industry.
Biological resources are classified as renewable. Nevertheless, with their modern, sometimes predatory and ill-considered use, some of them are threatened with destruction.
Geography of the world's natural resources: environmental problems
Modern environmental management is characterized by a number of serious environmental problems. Active mining of minerals not only pollutes the atmosphere and soil, but also significantly alters the surface of our planet, changing some landscapes beyond recognition.
What words are associated with modern geography of world natural resources? Pollution, depletion, destruction... Unfortunately, it's true. Thousands of hectares of ancient forests disappear from the face of our planet every year. Poaching is destroying rare and endangered species of animals. Heavy industry pollutes soils with metals and other harmful substances.
There is an urgent need to change the concept of human behavior in the natural environment at a global level. Otherwise, the future of world civilization will not look very bright.
The phenomenon of the “resource curse”
“The paradox of abundance”, or “the curse of raw materials”, is the name of a phenomenon in economics that was first formulated in 1993 by Richard Auty. The essence of this phenomenon is as follows: states with significant natural resource potential, as a rule, are characterized by low economic growth and development. In turn, countries “poor” in natural resources achieve great economic success.
There are indeed a lot of examples confirming this conclusion in the modern world. People first started talking about the “resource curse” of countries back in the 80s of the last century. Some researchers already traced this trend in their works.
Economists identify several main reasons explaining this phenomenon:
- lack of desire on the part of the authorities to carry out effective and necessary reforms;
- development of corruption based on “easy money”;
- a decrease in the competitiveness of other sectors of the economy that are not so heavily dependent on natural resources.
Conclusion
The geography of the world's natural resources is extremely uneven. This applies to almost all of their types - mineral, energy, land, water, forest.
Some states own large reserves of mineral resources, but the mineral resource potential of other countries is significantly limited to just a few types. True, an exceptional supply of natural resources does not always guarantee a high standard of living or the development of the economy of a particular state. A striking example of this are countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and others. This phenomenon has even received its name in economics - the “resource curse.”
24/7 Wall Street conducted a detailed analysis of 10 countries with the largest and most valuable natural resources on Earth. Using estimates of each country's total reserves and the market value of these resources, the 10 countries that have the most valuable natural resource reserves were identified.
Some of these resources, including uranium, silver, and phosphates, are not as valuable as others due to low demand or due to their rarity. However, in the case of oil, natural gas, timber, coal, these natural resources can be worth tens of trillions of dollars, because the demand for them is high and these resources are relatively abundant.
1. Russia
Total resource value: $75.7 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): 60 billion barrels ($7.08 trillion)
Natural gas reserves (value): 1.680 trillion. cubic feet ($19 trillion)
Timber reserves (value): 1.95 billion acres ($28.4 trillion)
When it comes to natural resources, Russia is the richest country in the world. It leads among all countries in the world in terms of natural gas and timber reserves. The sheer size of the country is both a blessing and a curse, since the construction of pipelines for gas transportation, as well as railroads for wood transportation, costs incredible sums.
In addition to having such large reserves of gas and timber, Russia has the second largest coal deposits in the world and the third largest gold deposits. In addition, it has the second largest deposits of rare earth minerals, although they are not currently mined.
2. United States
Total resource value: $45 trillion
Natural gas reserves (value): 272.5 trillion. cube m ($3.1 trillion)
Timber reserves (value): 750 million acres ($10.9 trillion)
The United States has 31.2% of the world's proven coal reserves. They are valued at 30 trillion dollars. Today they are the most valuable reserves on earth. The country has about 750 million acres of forest land, which is worth about $11 trillion. Timber and coal together are worth approximately 89% of the total value of the country's natural resources. The US is also among the top five countries with global reserves of copper, gold and natural gas.
3. Saudi Arabia
Total resource value: $34.4 trillion
Oil reserves (value): 266.7 billion barrels ($31.5 trillion)
Natural gas reserves (value): 258.5 trillion. cubic meters ($2.9 trillion)
Saudi Arabia owns about 20% of the world's oil, the largest share of any country. All of the country's significant resources are in carbon - oil or gas. The Kingdom has the fifth largest natural gas reserves in the world. As these resources dwindle, Saudi Arabia will eventually lose its high position on this list. However, this will not happen for several decades.
Total resource value: $33.2 trillion
Oil reserves (value): 178.1 billion barrels ($21 trillion)
Timber reserves (value): 775 million acres ($11.3 trillion)
Before the discovery of oil sands deposits, Canada's total mineral reserves likely would have kept it out of this list. The oil sands added about 150 billion barrels to Canada's oil supply in 2009 and 2010. The country also produces a decent amount of phosphate, although its phosphate rock deposits are not among the top 10 in the world. In addition, Canada has the world's second largest proven uranium reserves and the third largest timber reserves.
Total resource value: $27.3 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): 136.2 billion barrels ($16.1 trillion)
Natural gas reserves (value): 991600000000000 cubic meters. m ($11.2 trillion)
Wood reserves (value): not in the top 10
Iran shares with Qatar the giant South Pars/North Dome gas field in the Persian Gulf. The country has about 16% of the world's natural gas reserves. Iran also has the third largest proven amount of oil in the world. This is more than 10% of the world's oil reserves. At the moment, the country is experiencing problems in realizing its resources due to its alienation from international markets.
Total resource value: $23 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): not in the top 10
Natural gas reserves (value): not in the top 10
Timber reserves (value): 450 million acres ($6.5 trillion)
China's resource value is based largely on its reserves of coal and rare earth minerals. China has significant coal reserves, accounting for more than 13% of the world's total. Recently, shale gas deposits were discovered here. Once assessed, China's status as a leader in natural resources will only improve.
7. Brazil
Total resource value: $21.8 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): not in the top 10
Natural gas reserves (value): not in the top 10
Timber reserves (value): 1.2 billion acres ($17.5 trillion)
Significant reserves of gold and uranium largely contributed to its place on this list. Brazil also owns 17% of the world's iron ore. The most valuable natural resource, however, is wood. The country owns 12.3% of the world's timber reserves, valued at $17.45 trillion. To ensure consistency and accuracy of the study, recently discovered offshore oil reserves have not been included in this report. According to preliminary estimates, the field may contain 44 billion barrels of oil.
8. Australia
Total resource value: $19.9 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): not in the top 10
Natural gas reserves (value): not in the top 10
Timber reserves (value): 369 million acres ($5.3 trillion)
Australia's natural wealth lies in its vast quantities of timber, coal, copper and iron. The country is in the top three for total reserves of seven resources on this list. Australia has the largest reserves of gold in the world, with 14.3% of the world's reserves. It also supplies 46% of the world's uranium. In addition, the country has significant natural gas reserves offshore its northwest coast, which it shares with Indonesia.
Total resource value: $15.9 trillion. Z
Oil reserves (value): 115 billion barrels ($13.6 trillion)
Natural gas reserves (value): 111.9 trillion. cube ft ($1.3 trillion)
Wood reserves (value): not in the top 10
Iraq's greatest wealth is oil - 115 billion barrels of proven reserves. This represents almost 9% of the world's total oil. Despite being relatively easy to produce, most of these reserves remain untapped due to political differences between the central government and the Kurdistan Region over ownership of the oil. Iraq also has one of the most significant phosphate rock reserves in the world, worth more than $1.1 trillion. However, these deposits have not been fully developed.
10. Venezuela
Total resource value: $14.3 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): 99.4 billion barrels ($11.7 trillion)
Natural gas reserves (value): 170.9 cubic meters ft ($1.9 trillion)
Wood reserves (value): not in the top 10
Venezuela is one of the 10 largest resource holders in terms of iron, natural gas and oil. Natural gas reserves in this South American country rank eighth in the world and amount to 179.9 cubic meters. lbs. These reserves represent just over 2.7% of global reserves. In Venezuela, according to experts, there are 99 billion barrels of oil, which is 7.4% of the total reserves in the world.
— the basis of the primary sector of the economy, which collects industrial and agricultural raw materials and their primary processing for subsequent consumption.
Natural resources include:
- Mineral
- Land
- Forest
- Water reserves
- Resources of the World Ocean
Resource supply is expressed by the ratio between the amount of natural resources and the extent of their use.
Mineral resources
Mineral resources is a set of specific forms of mineral substances in the earth’s crust that are a source of energy, various materials, chemical compounds and elements.
Mineral resources form the basis for the production of industrial products in the world economy. Changes in the production and consumption of raw materials in international trade affect not only the economic situation in individual countries and regions, but are of a global nature. Over the past 25-30 years, the commodity sector has changed significantly due to the policies of developed countries trying to overcome dependence on the supply of raw materials from developing countries and reduce production costs. During this period, geological exploration work intensified in developed countries, including the development of deposits in remote and hard-to-reach areas, including the implementation of programs for saving mineral raw materials (resource-saving technologies; the use of recycled materials, reducing the material intensity of products, etc.) and developments in the field of alternative replacement of traditional types of raw materials, primarily energy and metal.
Thus, the world economy is transitioning from an extensive path of development to an intensive one, reducing the energy and material intensity of the world economy.
In the same time high supply of mineral resources to the farm of this or that country or their deficit ultimately are not a factor determining the level of socio-economic development. In many countries, there are significant gaps between the level of development of productive forces and the provision of material and raw materials (for example, in Japan and Russia).
The industrial significance of resources is determined by the following requirements:- Technical feasibility and economic profitability of production, transportation and processing.
- Environmental permissibility of development and use
- Favorable political and economic international situation
The distribution of mineral resources is characterized by extreme unevenness and high concentration of production. 22 types of mineral resources account for more than 90% of the value of mining products. However, 70% of metal production comes from the 200 largest mines; More than 80% of oil reserves and production are concentrated in 250 fields, which is only 5% of the total number of oil developments.
There are seven countries in the world based on the diversity and volume of mineral resources they possess:- Russia (gas, oil, coal, iron ore, diamonds, nickel, platinum, copper)
- USA (oil, copper, iron ore, coal, phosphate rocks, uranium, gold)
- China (coal, iron ore, tungsten, oil, gold)
- South Africa (platinum, vanadium, chromium, manganese, diamonds, gold, coal, iron ore)
- Canada (nickel, asbestos, uranium, oil, coal, polymetals, gold)
- Australia (iron ore, oil, uranium, titanium, manganese, polymetals, bauxite, diamonds, gold)
- Brazil (iron ore, non-ferrous metals)
On industrial the developed countries accounts for about 36% of the world's non-fuel mineral resources and 5% of oil.
In the territory developing countries There are up to 50% of non-fuel mineral resources, almost 65% of oil reserves and 50% of natural gas, 90% of phosphate reserves, 86-88% of tin and cobalt, more than 50% of copper ore and nickel. There is significant differentiation in the supply and distribution of mineral resources: the vast majority of them are concentrated in approximately 30 developing countries. Among them are: the Persian Gulf countries (about 60% of oil reserves), Brazil (iron and manganese ores, bauxite, tin, titanium, gold, oil, rare metals), Mexico (oil, copper, silver), Chile (copper, molybdenum ), Zaire (cobalt, copper, diamonds), Zambia (copper, cobalt), Indonesia (oil, gas), Algeria (oil, gas, iron ore), Central Asian countries (oil, gas, gold, bauxite).
From countries with economies in transition Russia has mineral reserves of global importance, where about 8% of the world's oil reserves, 33% of natural gas, 40% of coal, 30% of iron ore, 10% of diamonds and platinum are concentrated.
Extraction of main types of mineral raw materials*, 2004Assessment based on the content of useful components
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2005.U.S. Geological Survey. Wash., 2005.
| Type of raw material | Measurements | Production | Leading countries in production |
| Oil | million tons | 3800 | Saudi Arabia, Russia USA, Iran, China, Venezuela |
| Gas | billion cubic meters m | 2700 | Russia, Canada, USA, Algeria |
| Coal | million tons | 5400 | China, USA, Russia |
| Uranus | thousand tons | 45 | Canada, China, USA |
| Iron ore | million tons | 780 | Brazil, Australia, China, Russia, USA |
| Bauxite | million tons | 130 | Guinea, Jamaica, Brazil |
| Copper ore | million tons | 14,5 | USA, Chile, Russia, Kazakhstan |
| Gold | T | 2500 | South Africa, USA, Australia, Canada |
| Diamonds | million carats | 70 | Congo, Botswana, Russia, Australia, South Africa |
| Phosphate ores | million tons | 140 | USA, Morocco, China |
Land resources
Land resources and soil cover are the basis of agricultural production. At the same time, only 1/3 of the planet’s land fund is agricultural land (4783 million hectares), that is, land used for the production of food and raw materials for industry.
Agricultural land consists of arable land, perennial plantings (gardens), natural meadows and pastures. In different countries of the world, the ratio of arable land to pastures in agricultural land is different.
Currently, in the world, arable land accounts for about 11% of the total land area (1350 million hectares) and 24% of the land (3335 million hectares) is used in livestock farming. Countries with the largest tracts of arable land (million hectares): USA - 186, India - 166, Russia - 130, China - 95, Canada - 45. The availability of arable land per capita varies among regions (ha/person): Europe - 0.28, Asia - 0.15, Africa - 0.30, North America - 0.65, South America - 0.49, Australia - 1.87, CIS countries - 0.81.
If in developed countries the increase in yield and productivity, agricultural production is largely ensured through the extensive use of land, then most of the most accessible and fertile lands are already occupied by agricultural production, and those that remain are infertile.
Production of main types of agricultural products in the world, average for 2002-2004.Source: FAO Production Yearbook, 2004; Rome, 2004. FAO Yearbook of Fishery Statistics. Rome, 2005; FAO Yearbook of Forest Products. Rome, 2005.
| Types of products | Measurements | Production, collection | Countries are the main producers of products |
| Cereals - total | million tons | 2300 | China, USA, India |
| Potatoes and root vegetables | million tons | 715 | China, Russia, Nigeria |
| Vegetables | million tons | 880 | China, India, USA |
| Fruits | million tons | 510 | China, India, USA |
| Raw sugar | million tons | 1500 | Brazil, China, USA |
| Coffee bean | million tons | 7,7 | Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia, Ethiopia |
| Cocoa beans | million tons | 3,8 | Ivory Coast, Ghana, Brazil |
| Cotton plant, fiber | million tons | 65 | China, USA, India |
| Meat - total | million tons | 265 | China, USA, Brazil |
| Cow's milk, fresh | million tons | 560 | USA, India, Russia, Germany, France, China |
| Cleaned wool - total | thousand tons | 1700 | China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Australia, South Africa |
| Fish catch - total | million tons | 100 | China, Japan, Peru, Russia |
| Wood removal | million cubic meters m | 4000 | Russia, USA, Brazil, Canada |
Forest resources
Forests cover about 4 billion hectares of land (about 30% of the land). Two forest belts are clearly visible: the northern with a predominance of coniferous trees and the southern (mainly tropical forests of developing countries).
In developed countries In recent decades, mainly due to acid rain, forests on an area of about 30 million hectares have been affected. This reduces the quality of their forest resources.
Most third world countries are also characterized by a decrease in the provision of forest resources (deforestation of territories). Up to 11-12 million hectares per year are cut down for arable land and pastures, and the most valuable forest species are exported to developed countries. Wood also remains the main source of energy in these countries - 70% of the total population uses wood as fuel for cooking and heating their homes.
The destruction of forests has catastrophic consequences: the supply of oxygen to the atmosphere is reduced, the greenhouse effect is intensified, and the climate is changing.
The provision of forest resources in the regions of the world is characterized by the following data (ha/person): Europe - 0.3, Asia - 0.2, Africa - 1.3, North America - 2.5, Latin America - 2.2, Australia - 6 .4, CIS countries - 3.0. About 60% of temperate latitude forests are concentrated in Russia, but 53% of all forests in the country are suitable for industrial use.
Water resources
Rational use of water resources, especially freshwater, is one of the most pressing global problems of the world economy.
About 60% of the total land area on Earth is in areas without sufficient fresh water. A quarter of humanity feels a lack of it, and over 500 million residents suffer from a lack of and poor quality of drinking water.
Most of the water on the globe is the waters of the World Ocean - 96% (by volume). Groundwater accounts for about 2%, glaciers - also about 2%, and only 0.02% accounts for continental surface waters (rivers, lakes, swamps). Fresh water reserves account for 0.6% of the total water volume.
Current water consumption in the world is 3500 cubic meters. km per year, i.e., there is 650 cubic meters of water for every inhabitant of the planet. m per year.
Fresh water mainly used in industry - 21% and agriculture - 67%. The waters of the World Ocean are not suitable not only for drinking, but also for technological needs, despite the achievements of modern technology.
World ocean resources
The resources of the World Ocean play an increasingly important role in the development of productive forces.
These include:- biological resources (fish, zoo- and phytoplankton);
- significant mineral resources;
- energy potential;
- transport communications;
- the ability of ocean waters to disperse and purify the bulk of the waste entering it through chemical, physical and biological influences;
- the main source of the most valuable and increasingly scarce resource - fresh water (the production of which through desalination is increasing every year).
The development of ocean resources and its protection is undoubtedly one of humanity’s global problems.
The use of sea shelf resources is of particular importance for the world economy. Currently, about 30% of produced oil is of shelf origin. In the EU, the sea provides up to 90% of the oil produced, in Australia - up to 50%. The vast majority of oil (85%) on the shelf is extracted at depths of up to 100 m. About 60 countries produce oil on the shelf.
