This document provides information about the distribution of natural resources across the United Kingdom. It discusses the variety of soils and how they support different types of farming in different regions. It also outlines where forestry, fossil fuels, water supply and minerals are located in the UK, noting that forestry is concentrated in the north and west, coal was historically mined in places like South Wales, oil and gas come from offshore fields in the North Sea, and minerals are extracted from both land and under the sea.

1. Where are all the natural
resources distributed
across the UK?

2. 2. UK distribution of natural
resources
• Throughout this lesson mark on locations on the A3
UK map and annotate what happens there.

3. Here's one I made earlier …

4. A. Soil and Agriculture
• Wide variety of soils in the UK.
• This allows different types of farming (arable and
pastoral) to take place in different parts of the UK.
• Some farmers have diversified into growing Tea
(Cornwall) and some into wine (Denbies in Dorking)
• Suffolk and Norfolk are very productive for arable
farmers (potatoes, cereals and crops)

5. Dominant
soils of
the UK

7. Soils and farming

8. B. Forestry
• Currently 12% of UK covered by woodland.
Previously this figure was much higher.
• The Forestry Commission is responsible for
protecting the UK’s forests.
• The forestry industry employs 800,000 people in
the UK.
• Forestry is concentrated in the north and west
where the climate is not good for farming.
• Oldest forests remain in Scotland, the Caledonian
Forest.

9. Caledonian Forest

10. C. Fossil Fuels
• Coal, gas and oil are all found in the UK.
• Coal was mined heavily but was found in seams
underground (in places like South Wales or Country
Durham) which was hard to access.
• Oil and gas are now mainly off-shore in the UK. E.g.
Gas terminals off shore in the North Sea. However
these reserves are decreasing.

12. D. Water Supply
• Water supply might not always be high in the areas
that need it the most.
• Hosepipe bans are
common in the Kent
and Surrey if there
has been a dry
spring.

14. E. Rocks and Minerals
• Minerals used in construction, industry and
agriculture.
• Minerals and rocks are extracted from land as well
as under sea. Here is a mine under the sea

15. E. Rocks and Minerals
• UK has varied
rock types

16. Your turn
• Imagine you are a tour guide and, using your UK
map, write about all the different natural resources
that can be seen in the UK!
• E.g.
• Starting in South West England, Cornwall
is a county that boasts to have a climate
that allows Tea to be grown. Moving east
towards …