Spatial Distribution and Geographical Mechanism of Natural Resources in China under the Orientation of the New Economic Demands

Abstract

The demand structure of resources for new economy is different from the traditional one in that its development may significantly change China’s economic location map and spatial pattern. Based on 343 administrative units of prefecture-level cities in China, this research constructs the measurement index system of terrestrial surface natural resources under the orientation of the new economic demands; this research mainly analyses the spatial distribution characteristics and geographical mechanism of natural resources by means of the spatial autocorrelation and spatial similarity calculation methods. The results show that: (1) The structure and endowment of natural resources under the orientation of the new economic demands need to be reexamined. The significance of a good environment and ecological resources has been highlighted. The coupling of resource elements better reveals the availability of natural resources. (2) The natural resources decrease from southeast to northwest, showing a pattern of “abundant in the south and east and scarce in the north and west”. Natural resources have a significant positive correlation in spatial distribution with two types of agglomeration: high-high agglomeration and low-low agglomeration, showing the local agglomeration feature of “high in the south and low in the north”. (3) Natural factors such as temperature, precipitation and altitude affect the spatial distribution of natural resources, with the temperature being the most significant. This indicates that the original natural environment and its role are the geographical mechanism for the formation and distribution of natural resources. The results could provide a reference for the development and the optimization of China’s new economy.