NATURAL RESOURCES

Natural resources (sometimes called land) consists of all gifts of nature. They include mineral deposits, water, arable land, vegetation, natural forests, marine resources, other animal life, the atmosphere and even sunshine. Natural resources are fixed in supply. Their availability cannot be increased if we want more of them but it is often possible to exploit more of the available resources. For example, new mineral deposits are still being discovered and exploited every year. But once they are used, they cannot be replaced. Minerals are therefore called non-renewable or exhaustible assets.

As with all other factors of production, both the quality and the quantity of natural resources are important. Some countries cover a vast area but the land is of limited value. A desert, for example, has little or no agricultural value (although it may contain valuable mineral deposits). Some countries cover a relatively small geographical area but have a plentiful supply of arable land or minerals.

Because natural resources are in fixed supply, the rate at which they are exploited is often a cause for concern. Environmentalists are extremely concerned about pollution and the destruction of natural resources such as rain forests.

South Africa is blessed with a large variety of minerals and is the world’s largest producer of gold, platinum and a number of other minerals. The country’s natural resources for agriculture are generally poor by world standards. Only about 13 per cent of the country’s land surface is suitable for cultivation and most of the country has low and variable rainfall. On the positive side, South Africa is blessed with considerable natural tourist potential but it is situated quite distant from the main reservoirs of tourists. The economic and political instability of the region and the incidence of crime are also significant drawbacks to the development of the tourist industry.