Lesson 28:
Natural Resources and Economy
of the Southeast Region
You have learned that natural resources are useful materials found on or in the earth.Some use-
ful materials are air, water, soil, forests, plants, fossil fuels, andminerals. From natural resources, we
get products.
ACTIVITY 1:
Read the following paragraphs of information. After you read each paragraph, highlight natural
resources and products and enter them under the proper category below. On a separate sheet list
additional products you find using other sources of information, such as atlases and the Internet.
1. About one-half of the land in theSoutheast Region is coveredwith forests.One-half of our country’s
paper comes from the trees of this region. About one-fourth of the lumber for homes and buildings
comes from theSoutheast.That’s a lot of trees.People in the forest industry are constantly planting
new trees to replace those that have been cut down.
2. Another valuable resource of this region is its fertile soil.Thismeans that the area is good for grow-
ing food and crops. There are many types of farms where people use the soil to make their living
from farming. There are several kinds of livestock farms. These are farms where animals, such as
chickens, pigs, and cattle, are raised.Theanimals or their products are sold.This regionalso iswell
known for itsorchards, or fruit farms.Georgia is famous for itspeaches, andFlorida isa leadingpro-
ducer of oranges, grapefruit, and tangerines.
3.Cotton is another valuable crop grown in the Southeast. Factories buy cotton to make clothing
products for people.Other well-known farm products are tobacco, soybeans, rice, and peanuts.
4. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico provide another important resource. Many
kinds of fish and shrimp can be obtained from thesewaters.
5. The Southeast is also rich in two other natural resources that are black in color. Stop reading and
guess what they are. Black snakes is not the answer! Both resources are taken from the ground.
Both are types of fossil fuels.One is a hard substance.The other is a liquid substance.That should
be enough clues to tell you that these natural resources are coal and crude oil. Kentucky andWest
Virginia are the leading coal producers in the country. Louisiana also iswell known for its oil.
6. Productsmade from coal are printing ink and plastics, to name two. Coal is also used tomake, or
generate, electricity. Crude oil needs to be sent to a factory, called a
refinery
. It is then turned into
useful products, such as gasoline and heating fuel for homes and industries.Think of how our way
of lifewould bemuch different without these important products.
COPYRIGHT
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PENNSVALLEY
Southeast Region
Farming
Forests
Water
Mining
