Science Common Sense
260 - Why do some countries have more natural resources than others?
Imagine the Earth as a big puzzle with different pieces (continents and countries) that moved around a long time ago. As these puzzle pieces moved, they created mountains, volcanoes, and ocean basins.
Over millions of years, some countries got lucky and ended up with more natural resources like:
- Oil and gas: Formed from ancient plants and animals that got buried under layers of rock.
- Metals and minerals: Created when the Earth's crust melted and cooled, forming mountains and rocks.
- Water: From rivers, lakes, and underground aquifers that were formed by the movement of the puzzle pieces.
Countries located near where the puzzle pieces collided or moved apart often have more natural resources. For example:
- Countries near volcanoes tend to have more geothermal energy and minerals.
- Countries near mountains tend to have more metals and minerals.
- Countries near rivers and oceans tend to have more fish and other aquatic resources.
It's like the Earth chose certain countries to be richer in natural resources, but it's really just the result of the puzzle pieces moving around and creating different conditions over time.