Natural resources are very important to all communities throughout the world.  In fact, without natural resources, we couldn’t survive!  Trees, minerals, water, and animals are all examples of natural resources.  Without them, we would have no food, clothing, or shelter.  

Natural resources are also very important to the economy of a community.  Different communities around the world use the natural resources around them to make their lives better.  In this lesson, we will see how different communities around the world depend on their natural resources.

Here, in the United States, we have many natural resources.  One of these natural resources is coal.  We find coal in the ground by digging mines, or mining.  Coal has many uses.   Coal is burned in some of our power plants to produce electricity.  The electricity is used by factories to power machinery and in homes for light and heat. Because it can be used in so many ways, it is important that we take coal from the ground.  This creates many jobs.  In some small communities, in the states of Kentucky and Pennsylvania for example, coal mining is very important to their economy.

Another very important natural resource that comes from deep inside the earth is oil.  Oil is used to make gasoline.  Think of all the cars and trucks on the road in this country.  Now, imagine the amount of gasoline that is used to fuel these cars and trucks!  Oil is also used to fuel airplanes, and ships, power machinery, and heat homes.   Oil is very important to our country as well as other countries around the world.

The United States does not have enough oil to meet our needs.  Therefore, we must depend on other countries for oil.  One of these countries is Saudi Arabia.  Saudi Arabia is in the southwestern part of the continent of Asia.  This region of the world produces lots of oil.  Saudi Arabia exports, or sells, much of this oil to countries like the United States.  Oil is very important to the economy of Saudi Arabia.      

Far out in the South Pacific Ocean, lies the tiny island nation of Samoa.  There is nothing but water for great distances in every direction.  Can you guess what Samoa’s main natural resource is?   Fishing, of course!  Fishing is very important to the economy of Samoa.  In fact, tuna is Samoa’s main export.

If we travel to the very northern part of our continent of North America, we’ll find the Inuit people.  The Inuit are natives of northern Canada and Alaska.  They live in a very cold and harsh environment, especially in the winter.  The animals of this region are a very important natural resource to the Inuit.  Hunting large animals such as moose and caribou provide much of the food for the Inuit.  Fish are also an important natural resource.  The Inuit can not import their food because they live so far away from other communities.  Hunting and fishing is necessary in order to survive.  It is an important part of their economy.