Natural resources are materials and sources of energy that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. They are part of humanitys natural heritage or protected in nature reserves. Natural resources can be classified in different ways, but they can be broadly categorized as renewable and nonrenewable resources. Renewable resources are those that can be replenished at about the same rate at which they are used, such as trees, water, sun, and wind. Nonrenewable resources are those that are depleted more quickly than they can regenerate, such as oil, coal, natural gas, metals, stone, and sand.

Natural resources can be found in different forms, such as fresh water, air, or any living organism such as a fish. They can also be transformed by extractivist industries into an economically useful form that must be processed to obtain the resource, such as metal ores, rare-earth elements, petroleum, timber, and most forms of energy.

Natural resources are used to make food, fuel, and raw materials for the production of goods. All of the food that people eat comes from plants or animals, and natural resources such as coal, natural gas, and oil provide heat, light, and power. Natural resources also serve as the raw materials for making products that we use every day, from our toothbrush and lunch box to our clothes, cars, televisions, computers, and refrigerators.

In summary, natural resources are materials and sources of energy that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. They can be classified as renewable and nonrenewable resources and are used to support life and meet peoples needs.