Class VIII Social Science: Natural Resources - Land, Soil, Water, Vegetation, Wildlife, Minerals, and Power

Overview of Natural Resources

Definition and Importance: Natural resources were introduced in previous studies. These resources are fundamental to the economic development of any nation.
Uneven Distribution: The distribution of natural resources across the globe is highly uneven.
Technological Variance: Techniques employed for resource development vary significantly between regions.
Development Gaps: Variations in the levels of development are observed not only between different countries but also within specific regions of a single country.

Land Resources

Fundamental Status: Land is considered a free gift of nature. It serves as a vital resource and a primary factor of production.
Basis of Life: All living beings reside on land, and almost all wealth is derived from it.
Human Needs: Land provides more than $95\%$ of essential human needs, including food, clothing, housing, and fuel.
Surface Area: Land covers less than $30\%$ of the Earth's total surface area.
Hemispheric Distribution: There is more landmass in the Northern Hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere.
Land Habitation Statistics: * Only about $30\%$ of the total land area of Earth is occupied by $90\%$ of the world population (which exceeds $6$ billion people). * The remaining $70\%$ of the land is either sparsely inhabited or completely uninhabited. * Uninhabited areas are typically characterized by rugged topography, low-lying plains, or extreme climates. * Case Study: Antarctica: This continent remains uninhabited except for temporary occupation by a few scientists conducting research.
Population Concentration: The bulk of the world's population (approximately $66\%$ ) lives in the sub-tropical and mid-latitude zones.

Land Use Patterns

Definition: The term "land use" refers to the utilization of land for diverse purposes such as crop cultivation, forestry, construction of infrastructure (houses/roads), mining, and manufacturing.
Land Use Pattern: This describes the varying proportions of land dedicated to different uses from one region to another.
Determining Factors: * Physical Factors: Topography, soil quality, climate, and the availability of water and mineral resources. * Fertile plains are typically designated as agricultural lands. * Mining industries thrive in areas rich in mineral deposits. * Human and Economic Factors: Economic requirements and population density also dictate how land is utilized.
Global Land Use Table (Percentage of Area): * Australia: Agricultural land ( $6\%$ ), Pasture ( $56\%$ ), Forest ( $14\%$ ), Other uses ( $24\%$ ). * Brazil: Agricultural land ( $9\%$ ), Pasture ( $20\%$ ), Forest ( $66\%$ ), Other uses ( $5\%$ ). * Canada: Agricultural land ( $5\%$ ), Pasture ( $4\%$ ), Forest ( $39\%$ ), Other uses ( $52\%$ ). * China: Agricultural land ( $10\%$ ), Pasture ( $34\%$ ), Forest ( $14\%$ ), Other uses ( $42\%$ ). * France: Agricultural land ( $35\%$ ), Pasture ( $21\%$ ), Forest ( $27\%$ ), Other uses ( $17\%$ ). * Japan: Agricultural land ( $12\%$ ), Pasture ( $2\%$ ), Forest ( $67\%$ ), Other uses ( $19\%$ ). * Russia: Agricultural land ( $8\%$ ), Pasture ( $5\%$ ), Forest ( $44\%$ ), Other uses ( $43\%$ ). * UK: Agricultural land ( $29\%$ ), Pasture ( $46\%$ ), Forest ( $10\%$ ), Other uses ( $15\%$ ). * USA: Agricultural land ( $21\%$ ), Pasture ( $26\%$ ), Forest ( $32\%$ ), Other uses ( $21\%$ ). * India: Agricultural land ( $57\%$ ), Pasture ( $4\%$ ), Forest ( $22\%$ ), Other uses ( $17\%$ ). * World Average: Agricultural land ( $11\%$ ), Pasture ( $26\%$ ), Forest ( $31\%$ ), Other uses ( $32\%$ ). * Manipur (Local Context): Agricultural land ( $30\%$ ), Pasture ( $1\%$ ), Forest ( $68\%$ ), Other uses ( $1\%$ ).
Regional Observations: * India has a high percentage of arable land ( $57\%$ ) but a low forest cover compared to the necessary one-third ( $33.3\%$ ) optimal norm for a healthy environment. * Manipur, being hilly, has high forest proportions ( $68\%$ ) but the least land available for pasture.

Degradation and Conservation of Land

Land Degradation: Driven by a growing population, which disturbs the ecological balance.
Conservation Methods: * Afforestation: Planting trees on a large scale. * Land Reclamation: Restoring land for productive use. * Regulated Use of Fertilisers: Managing chemical application to prevent soil damage. * Controlled Mining: Minimizing the destructive impact of mineral extraction. * Checks on Overgrazing: Preventing the destruction of vegetation by livestock.

Soil Resources

Definition: Soil is the top layer of the Earth's crust, consisting of a collection of loose particles of rock fragments and organic materials.
Formation Rate: It is an extremely slow process; it takes hundreds of years to form just $1\,\text{cm}$ of soil layer.
Factors of Soil Formation: * Parent Rock: Determines basic characteristics (e.g., shales form clay soil; sandstones form sandy grains). * Topography: Affects accumulation. Steep slopes prevent soil buildup as gravity moves weathered rock downward. * Climate: Temperature and precipitation influence the rate of weathering. * Organisms: Dead plants and animals provide humus. Earthworms and ants create spaces for air and water. * Time: Longer periods allow for the formation of deeper soil layers.
Regional Soil Distribution in India: * Alluvial Soils: Found in river valleys and coastal plains (e.g., Ganga valley). * Black Soil: Found in the north-western Deccan Plateau. * Red Soils: Found in other parts of the Deccan Plateau and the hills of Manipur. * Laterite Soil: Found in heavy rainfall areas (North-east India, Western Ghats, Chotanagpur Plateau); generally infertile. * Sandy Soils: Found in Rajasthan. * Mountain Soils: Found on the lower slopes of the Himalayas. * Manipur: Alluvial soil in the central valley; red soil in the surrounding hills.
Notable Fact: Loess: A soil type formed by wind-blown dust. In China, loess deposits can reach a thickness of about $300\,\text{m}$ .

Conservation of Soil Resources

Concept: Soil conservation refers to protecting soil from physical and chemical loss to provide the greatest benefit over the longest time.
Methods of Conservation: * Contour Ploughing: Ploughing along the contours of the land. * Terrace Farming: Steps cut into slopes for agriculture. * Crop Rotation: Changing crops sequentially to maintain nutrients. * Strip Cropping: Planting different crops in alternate strips. * Afforestation: Establishing forest cover to prevent erosion.

Water Resources

Constituent of Life: Major body constituent for plants and animals; makes up $70\%$ of the human body.
Surface Coverage: Water occupies roughly three-fourths ( $75\%$ ) of the Earth's surface.
Classification of Global Water Supply: * Oceans and Seas: Contain $97\%$ of total water; saline and unsuitable for human consumption. * Fresh Water: Total is approximately $3\%$ . * Ice caps and glaciers: $2\%$ (inaccessible). * Available for human use: Only $1\%$ (found as groundwater, surface water in rivers/lakes, and atmospheric vapour).
Water Scarcity Issues: * Scarcity occurs due to uneven distribution of rainfall, drying of sources, over-exploitation, or pollution. * Manipur Case: Receives heavy rain but suffers from fresh water shortage due to a lack of rainwater harvesting. * Statistics: In $1999$ , $26$ countries faced water scarcity. By $2025$ , this is expected to rise to $65$ countries, including India, Korea, Nigeria, Peru, and Poland.
River Valley Projects: Multi-purpose dams help control floods and conserve soil while providing water. * Global Examples: Nile (Egypt), Tennessee (USA). * Indian Examples: Bhakra-Nangal Dam, Damodar Valley Project, Chambal Valley Project, Loktak Project (Manipur), and Hirakud Dam.

Social and Economic Impacts of Water

Usage and Access: * Urban Indian daily use: Average of $213\,\text{litres}$ . * Developing countries: Less than $20\%$ have clean drinking water access. * India: Over $60\%$ of families do not have water at home. (Rural access: $29\%$ , Urban access: $65\%$ ). * Global shortage: Population without potable water access reached $3.3$ billion in $2000$ ( $1,056$ million urban; $2,288$ million rural).
Hydropolitics: Sharing water between countries remains a source of confrontation.
Conservation Activities: * Upland afforestation, dam construction, rainwater harvesting, groundwater regulation, and adoption of drip/sprinkler irrigation. * Health and Pollution: Avoid discharging untreated sewage, industrial effluents, and agricultural chemicals into water bodies. Disinfection should be done via chlorination and boiling.

Natural Vegetation

Definition: Plants growing naturally in a region. There are over $300,000$ plant species known.
Biomes: Major vegetation types based on climate: forests, grasslands, scrubs, and tundra.
Vegetation Types: * Forests: High rainfall areas (occupy $29\%$ of global land surface as of the late 20th century). * Grasslands: Moderate rainfall areas. * Scrubs: Thorny vegetation in dry regions. * Tundra: Mosses and lichens in polar regions.
Specific Forest Classifications: * Evergreen Forests: Trees do not shed leaves collectively in any season. * Tropical Evergreen: Equatorial regions; dense canopy (mahogany, ebony, rubber, rosewood); Amazon/Congo basins. * Mid-Latitude Evergreen: Warm temperate regions (Southern China, Japan, USA); oak, pine, walnut. * Mediterranean: Hot/dry summers, wet/warm winters; spiny, small leaves, long roots (olive, oak, cedar, cork); France, Italy, California. * Coniferous: North Polar regions and high mountains; needle-shaped leaves (pine, fir, spruce, cedar); used for paper making. * Deciduous Forests: Trees shed leaves in specific seasons to conserve moisture via transpiration. * Tropical Deciduous: Monsoon Asia, Brazil; teak, sal, sandalwood. * Mid-Latitude Deciduous: Coastal temperate regions (temp below $6^\circ\text{C}$ in winter); ash, birch, oak.
Grassland Varieties: * Tropical Grasslands (Savanna): Stunted, thorny trees; found in Australia, Africa (Sudan), and South America. * Temperate Grasslands: Interior of continents; moderate rain; known as Prairies (N. America), Steppes (Eurasia), Pampas (S. America), Downs (Australia), and Veld (S. Africa).
Indian and Manipur Forests: * India has $5$ zones: Tropical evergreen, Tropical deciduous, Thorn, Tidal, and Mountain vegetation. * Indian forest cover: $19.47\%$ ( $38.33\%$ including all types; current estimate around $19\%$ cited). * Manipur: $68\%$ cover. Types: Sub-tropical deciduous, Sub-tropical evergreen, Tropical moist deciduous, and Tropical moist semi-evergreen.

Wildlife Resources

Definition: Animals, birds, and fish living in natural habitats.
Notable Wildlife in India: * Lions in Gir forest (Gujarat). * Tigers in Sundarbans (West Bengal). * Peacocks (National bird). * Sangai (Brow-antlered deer): Found in Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur.
Conservation: National Parks, Sanctuaries, and Biosphere reserves are set up to prevent extinction caused by habitat disturbance and illegal killing.

Mineral Resources

Definition: Inorganic substances composed of one or more elements with specific physical (colour, hardness) and chemical (solubility) properties.
Hardness Range: From talc (softest) to diamond (hardest).
Classification: * Metallic Minerals: Conduct heat and electricity; derived from ores. * Ferrous: Contain iron (iron ore, manganese). * Non-Ferrous: Do not contain iron (copper, gold, silver, zinc). * Non-Metallic Minerals: Do not contain metals (coal, petroleum, mica, diamond).
Technical Terms: * Ore: Natural accumulation of minerals with impurities. * Smelting: Separating metals from ores through heating. * Alloy: A mixture of two or more metals (e.g., Bronze = Copper + Tin). * Mining: Extraction of minerals. Surface mines are called "quarries."
Iron Ore Types: Magnetite (highest quality), Haematite, Limonite, and Siderite.
Global Distribution: * Iron: $75\%$ of world's iron found in USA; significant deposits in Russia, China, Brazil, Australia, India. * Copper: Chile is the largest producer. * Bauxite (Aluminium ore): Australia, Guinea, Brazil, France, India.

Power Resources

Requirement: Vital for industrial, agricultural, and commercial sectors.
Conventional Sources (Exhaustible): * Coal: Formed from buried plants. Types based on carbon content: * Anthracite: Above $92\%$ carbon. * Bituminous: $74-85\%$ carbon. * Lignite: Below $50\%$ carbon. * Peat: Lowest carbon content. * Mineral Oil & Natural Gas: Fossil fuels found in sedimentary rocks. Saudi Arabia has the largest oil reserves. * Hydropower: Clean energy from falling water. * Nuclear Power: Derived from radioactive elements like uranium and thorium.
Non-Conventional Sources (Inexhaustible): Solar, Wind, Tidal, and Geothermal energy.
Local Observations (Manipur): * Faces power shortage despite potential. * Loktak Hydro Electro Project: Started in $1970$ , completed in $1982$ , re-commissioned in $1984$ . Three units of $35\,\text{MW}$ each. * Mineral Findings in Manipur: GSI reported Limestone (Ukhrul/Chandel districts), Chromite (Ukhrul/Chandel - Kwatha), Nickel (Moreh), Copper (Kwatha/Nampisha), Serpentinites (known as "Green Marble"), and Salt (Waikhong/Shikhong).
Historical Timeline: * First oil well ever drilled: Titusvilla, Pennsylvania, USA (August $1859$ ). * First oil well in India: Digboi, Assam ( $1894$ ).