Types and Locations of Resources

What are Resources?

• Resources are natural materials or assets utilized by humans for economic and industrial activities.

Types of Resources

• Renewable resources can replenish naturally over time, including solar, wind, water, forests, and biomass.
• Renewable resources are sustainable if managed properly.
• Non-renewable resources exist in finite amounts, taking millions of years to form, such as coal, oil, natural gas, and minerals.
• Overuse of non-renewable resources can lead to depletion.

Where are Resources Found?

• Resources are distributed across the Earth’s surface, including the crust, oceans, and atmosphere.

Key Locations for Resources

• Africa is rich in minerals like gold, diamonds, copper, and cobalt.
• The Middle East dominates global oil production.
• South America has large rainforests providing timber, and mineral deposits like lithium.
• Europe and North America are developed nations with access to both imported and locally sourced resources.

Types of Resources

• Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas, are non-renewable energy sources with high energy output.
• Fossil fuels contribute to pollution and climate change.
• Green energy sources, like solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass, are renewable with lower environmental impact.

Metallic Resources

• Precious metals include gold, silver, and platinum, which are used in jewelry, electronics, and as financial assets.
• Non-precious metals include iron for steel production, copper for electrical wiring, and aluminum for construction and packaging.

Non-Metallic Resources

• Sand is used in construction.
• Salt is used in food and industry.
• Limestone is used in cement production.
• Diamonds are used in industrial applications and jewelry.

How are Resources Formed?

• Magma from deep inside the Earth carries metals to the surface through intrusions.
• Kimberlite pipes are a major source of diamonds.

Sedimentation

• Organic material accumulates over millions of years and compresses into fossil fuels like coal and oil.
• Coal and oil forms in ancient swamps and oceans.

Cratons

• Cratons are ancient, stable parts of the Earth’s crust rich in minerals.
• Examples of African cratons include Kaapvaal, Congo, Tanzanian, and West African cratons.

Implications of Resources in Africa

• Resource wealth can boost a country’s economy, such as South Africa's gold industry and Nigeria’s oil exports.
• Mining leads to deforestation, pollution, and water contamination.
• Some resources, like blood diamonds, fund wars and corruption.
• Resource-driven conflict occurs in countries such as Angola and Sierra Leone.
• Many African nations rely on multinational corporations for mining and drilling.
• Dependence on foreign investment can lead to economic dependency.

International Relations & Resources

• Core countries are developed nations that control trade, technology, and industry.
• Periphery countries supply raw materials but often remain economically weak based on the World System Theory.
• Nations compete for access to resources, such as oil conflicts in the Middle East.
• Africa is rich in resources but often exploited by foreign investors, leading to wealth inequality.

Key Resource-Rich Countries

• Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa, but struggles with corruption and economic inequality.
• The continental shelf is rich in oil and gas.
• The submerged edge of a continent is often claimed by countries for offshore drilling.
• The resource curse occurs when resource wealth harms rather than helps a country’s development.
• Nigeria’s oil wealth fuels corruption instead of benefiting citizens.
• A mono-economy is dependent on a single resource.
• Angola relies almost entirely on oil, making it vulnerable to price fluctuations.

Angola & Resource Conflicts

• Horsts and grabens are land formations created by tectonic activity that affect where resources are found.
• Blood diamonds are mined in war zones and sold to fund conflicts.
• Blood diamonds are a major issue in Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• The Angola Model is a trade agreement between Angola and China.
• China provides infrastructure, while Angola repays with oil exports.
• The agreement leads to concerns about economic dependence on China.

Future of Resources

• Challenges include resource depletion, environmental damage from mining, and economic inequality.
• Changes include the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and policies for sustainable resource use.
• Recycling and circular economy strategies are being explored.
• China’s New Silk Road is a major infrastructure and trade project connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe.
• The project could impact resource distribution and global trade routes.