CDF Resources Development: Some natural

resources cannot be used directly. While

Geography: L. 1 – Resources and
using the natural resources, we must keep
Development
in mind the nature, type and the size of the
resources.

Resource: Natural endowments in the Ocean water, solar energy, wind energy
form of land water, vegetation and and climate are inexhaustible resources.
minerals are called natural resources.
Iron, tin, copper, gold and silver are
Types of Resources: exhaustible but reusable resources. We
must reuse and recycle the resources.
1) Natural Resource.
2) Human-made Resource. Resource Planning: This is a technique
3) Renewable Resource. or skill of proper utilisation of resources.
4) Non-Renewable Resource. Resource Planning consists of three
stages.
1) Preparation of inventory of
Natural Resources: Natural resources
resources.
include land, water, soil vegetation, wildlife,
2) Evaluation in terms of availability
minerals and power resources etc.,
for development.
Human-made Resources: Resources 3) Planning of exploitation of
created by humans are called as human- resources.
made resources like engineering,
Preparation of inventory of resources:
technology, machines, buildings,
This stage includes surveying, mapping,
monuments, paintings, and social
and measurement of characteristics and
institutions.
properties of resources.
Biotic Resources: Resources obtained
Evaluation in terms of availability for
from the biosphere like forests, wildlife,
development: This stage includes the
fisheries, livestock, human beings, etc.,
examination of resources from the point of
which have life are called biotic resources.
view of technology, economy and need.
Abiotic Resources: Resources which are
Planning of exploitation of resources:
obtained from non-living things are called
This stage is related with the systematic
abiotic resources like iron, copper, gold and
planning which emphasises on the use
lead etc.,
and reuse of the resources. Resource
Renewable Resources: Some resources planning helps to reduce wastage and keep
have the ability to renew themselves in a the environment pollution free.
given period of time. Plants and animals
have the ability to regenerate.
Conservation of Resources: The
Non-Renewable Resources: Minerals are
management of resources by the humans
non-renewable resources. They cannot be
is known as conservation.
remade. Some of the important renewable
resources are water, forest, solar wind and Land Resources: India has a variety of
tidal energy. relief features like mountains, plateaus
 and plains and they provide cultivable
land for growing crops.
30% of the country is covered by
mountains and they provide natural
resources like forests and wildlife.
27% of the country is covered by plateaus
which contains mineral resources, forests
and some arable lands.
Total area of India 3.28 million square
meters.
44% of total land area of India is the new
sown area.
22% is covered by forests.
4% of land is cultivable land.
11% is fallow land.
4% is permanent pasture land.
14% land is not available for cultivation.
1% is covered by miscellaneous tree crops.
The degradation of natural vegetation is
caused by overgrazing by animals,
deforestation, care-less management of
forests and degradation of land. At
present, about 130 million hectares of
degraded land exists in India.
Soil: The uppermost layer of the earth’s
crust which is loose, fragmented and
useful for plants is called soil.
Soil Formation: The factors that
contribute to the formation and fertility of
the soil are parent rocks, climate, plant,
animal and local topography. They are
made out of rocks. The rocks disintegrate
Soil Types: The soils of India are
classified into the following types:
1) Alluvial Soil.
2) Black Soil.
3) Red Soil.
4) Laterite Soil.
5) Mountain Soil.
6) Desert Soil.
Alluvial Soil: It is of two types Khadar and
Bangar. It is formed mainly in the
Northern Plains and Coastal Strips of the
Eastern Coast.
Black Soil: It is derived from the Deccan
Traps. It occurs in areas like Maharashtra,
Western Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It
is known for the cultivation of Cotton.
Red Soil: It is formed in areas of igneous
and metamorphic rocks. It is found in
parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand.
Laterite Soil: It is the intensively leached
soil of the monsoon climate. It is found in
the hills of the Deccan Plateau, Karnataka,
Kerala, Orissa and parts of Assam and
Meghalaya.
Mountain Soil: It is characterised by the
deposition of organic materials derived
from the vegetative cover. It is found in
Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern
ranges, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh
and Jammu and Kashmir.
Desert Soil: It is found in the arid areas of
Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.
Soil Erosion: The removal of soil from one
place to another by natural agents is called
soil erosion.