In geography, what are "natural resources"?

Natural resources refer to materials or substances that occur naturally in the environment and can be utilized for various purposes, particularly for economic gain. This includes items like water, minerals, forests, and fossil fuels, which are essential for sustaining life and supporting human endeavors such as agriculture, energy production, and manufacturing. These resources are not created or altered by human activity; rather, they exist independent of human influence and can be harvested or extracted.

The other options describe different types of resources or characteristics that do not align with the definition of natural resources. Man-made resources that enhance technology involve human intervention, while resources found strictly in urban areas or products transformed through manufacturing reference contexts that do not apply to natural resources in their purest form.