Virginia SOLs

WG.4: The student will apply social science skills to evaluate the significance of natural, human, and capital resources by

a) comparing the distribution of major natural resources throughout world regions;

b) showing the influence of resources on patterns of economic activity and land use; 

Essential Understandings

Economic activity can be classified as primary, secondary, tertiary, or quaternary.

Natural, human, and capital resources influence human activity in regions.

Resources are not distributed equally.

The availability of natural resources is directly connected to the economic activity and culture of a region.

The location of resources influences economic activity and patterns of land use.

Essential Knowledge

Natural resources

• Renewable: Soil, water, forests

• Nonrenewable: Fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas) and metals (gold, iron, copper, bauxite)

Human resources

• Level of education; Skilled and unskilled laborers; Entrepreneurial and managerial abilities

Capital resources

• Level of infrastructure

• Availability and use of tools, machines, and technologies

Levels of economic activity

• Primary: Dealing directly with resources (e.g., fishing, farming, forestry, mining)

• Secondary: Manufacturing and processing (e.g., steel mills, automobile assembly, sawmills)

• Tertiary: Services (e.g., transportation, retail trade, information technology services)

• Quaternary: Service sector concerned with collection, processing, and manipulation of information and capital (e.g., finance, administration, insurance, legal services)

Effects of unequal distribution of resources

• Interdependence of nations, trading in goods, services, and capital resources

• Uneven economic development; dependence on outside assistance

• Energy producers and consumers

• Imperialism/Colonialism

• Conflict over control of resources

Patterns of land use

• Economic activities that require extensive areas of land (e.g., commercial agriculture) vs. those that require limited areas (e.g., subsistence farming)

• Land uses that are compatible with each other (e.g., open spaces and residential) vs. land uses that are not compatible (e.g., landfills and residential)

WG.14: The student will apply social science skills to compare and contrast the distribution, growth rates, and characteristics of human population by

a) examining demographic data to determine the relative level of development;

b) distinguishing between developed and developing countries; 

Essential Understandings

Levels of economic development vary from country to country and from place to place within countries.

Many criteria are used to assess the standard of living and quality of life.

Essential Knowledge

Indicators of economic development

• Urban–rural ratio

• Labor force characteristics (primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary sectors)

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita

• Educational achievement

Demographics typical of developed economies

• High per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

• High life expectancy

• Low population growth rate

• Low infant mortality rate

• High literacy rate and high levels of education

Demographics typical of developing economies

• Low per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

• Low life expectancy

• High population growth rate

• High infant mortality rate

• Low literacy rate and lower levels of education

WG.17: The student will apply social science skills to analyze impact of globalization by 

a) identifying factors, including comparative advantage, that influence the distribution of economic activities and trade;

Essential Understandings

Resources are not equally distributed.

Economic activities are influenced by availability of resources, cultural values, economic philosophies, and levels of supply and demand for goods and services.

No country has all the resources it needs to survive and grow.

Nations participate in those economic activities compatible with their human, natural, and capital resources.

International trade fosters interdependence.-

Essential Knowledge

• comparative advantage: The ability of countries to produce goods and services at lower relative costs than other countries, resulting in exports of goods and services

Factors that influence economic activity

• Access to human, natural, and capital resources, such as

• • 1. skills of the work force

    2. natural resources

    3. new technologies

    4. transportation and communication networks.

• Access to funds (investment capital) to purchase capital resources

• Location and ability to exchange goods

• • 1. Landlocked countries

    2. Coastal and island countries

    3. Proximity to shipping lanes

    4. Access to communication networks

• Membership in political and economic alliances that provide access to markets (e.g., European Union [EU], North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA])

Effects of unequal distribution of resources

• Specialization in goods and services that a country can market for profit

• Exchange of goods and services (exporting what a country can market for profit; importing what a country cannot produce profitably)

Some countries’ use of resources

• Japan: Highly industrialized nation despite limited natural resources

• Russia: Numerous resources, many of which are not economically profitable to develop

• United States: Diversified economy, abundant natural resources, specialized industries

• Côte d’Ivoire: Limited natural resources, cash crops exchanged for manufactured goods

• Switzerland: Limited natural resources, production of services on a global scale

Reasons why countries engage in trade

• To import goods and services that they need

• To export goods and services that they can market for profit

Effects of comparative advantage on international trade

• Enables nations to efficiently produce goods and services that they can trade, increasing total output

• Supports specialization and efficient use of resources