1 – Resources | Geography | NCERT | Class 8

The blog presents the important summary notes from the Chapter 1, Geography , NCERT of Class 8. This can be used for school studies as well as for Competitive entrance exams and Olympiads. At the end of summary notes the question and answers are also discussed.

1. Utility : A thing that has a use or satisfy some human need is said to have utility.
Example : Water, electricity, rickshaw, vegetable and textbook.

2. Resource : Utility or usability of a thing or object makes it a resource.

3. The use or utility of a thing or object gives it its value.

4. All resources has some value. Value means worth.

5. Some resources have economic value some do not.
Example : metals may have an economic value, a beautiful landscape may not.

6. Some resources can become economically valuable with time.

7. Time and technology are two important factors that can change substances into resources.

8. People themselves are the most important resource. It is their ideas, knowledge, inventions and discoveries that lead to the creation of more resources.

9. Types of Resources :
• natural
• human made
• human

10. Natural Resources : Resources that are drawn from Nature and used without much modification are called natural resources.
Example : air, water in our rivers and lakes, the soils, minerals.

11. Types of Natural Resources :
• renewable resources
• non-renewable resources

12. Renewable resources are those which get renewed or replenished quickly.
Examples : solar energy, wind energy, water, soil and forest.

13. Non-renewable resources are those which have a limited stock.
Examples : Coal, petroleum and natural gas.

14. Distribution of natural resources depends upon number of physical factors like :
• terrain
• climate
• altitude

15. Human made resources : People use natural resources to make buildings, bridges, roads, machinery and vehicles, which are known as
human made resources.

16. Technology is a human made resource.

17. Human Resource : It refers to the number (quantity) and abilities (mental and physical) of the people.

18. Human beings are a special resource.

19. Education and health help in making people a valuable resource.

20. Human resource development : Improving the quality of people’s skills so that they are able to create more resources is known as human resource development.

21. Resource conservation : Using resources carefully and giving them time to get renewed is called resource conservation.

22. Sustainable development : Balancing the need to use resources and also conserve them for the future is called sustainable development.

23. Principles of Sustainable Development :
• Respect and care for all forms of life
• Improve the quality of human life
• Conserve the earth’s vitality and diversity
• Minimise the depletion of natural resources
• Change personal attitude and practices towards the environment
• Enable communities to care for their own environment.

24. There are many ways of conserving resources. Each person can contribute by reducing consumption, recycling and reusing thing.

25. It is our duty to ensure that :
• all uses of renewable resources are sustainable
• the diversity of life on the earth is conserved
• the damage to natural environmental system is minimised.

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1. Answer the following questions.

(i) Why are resources distributed unequally over the earth?

Ans. The distribution of natural resources depends upon number of physical factors like; terrain, climate and altitude. The distribution of resources is unequal because these factors differ so much over the earth.

(ii) What is resource conservation?

Ans. Using resources carefully and giving them time to get replenished or renewed is called resource conservation.

(iii) Why are human resources important?

Ans. Human resources are important because,
(i) The people are the human resources.
(ii) These people can make the best use of nature to create more resources when they have the knowledge, skill and the technology to do so.
That is why human beings are a special or important resource.

(iv) What is sustainable development?

Ans. Balancing the need to use resources and also conserve them for the future is called sustainable development.

2. Tick the correct answer.

(i) Which one of the following does NOT make substance a resource?
(a) utility
(b) value
(c) quantity

(ii) Which one of the following is a human made resource?
(a) medicines to treat cancer
(b) spring water
(c) tropical forests

(iii) Complete the statement.

Non-renewable resources are
(a) those which have limited stock
(b) made by human beings
(c) derived from non-living things

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