The Patterns and Networks of Economic Interdependence on Earth's Surface Resources are unevenly scattered across the surface of Earth, and no country has all the resources it needs to survive and grow. Thus each country must trade with others, and Earth is a world of increasingly global economic interdependence. The spatial dimensions of economic and global interdependence are visible everywhere. Trucks haul frozen vegetables to markets hundreds of miles from growing areas and processing plants.
Airplanes move large numbers of business passengers or vacationers.
Highways, especially in developed countries, carry the cars of many commuters, tourists, and other travelers. The labels on products sold in American supermarkets typically identify the products as coming from other U.S. states and from other countries. The spatial dimensions of economic activity are more and more complex. For example, petroleum is shipped from Southwest Asia, Africa, and Latin America to major energy-importing regions such as the United States, Japan, and Western Europe. Raw materials and food from tropical areas are exchanged for the processed or fabricated products of the mid-latitude developed countries.