In economics, land as a factor of production refers to all natural resources, including the physical surface of the earth, minerals, water bodies, forests, and the atmosphere. A key characteristic that distinguishes land from other factors of production is that its total supply is fixed.
Unlike labour, which can grow through population increase and training, or capital, which can be accumulated through investment, the total quantity of land available on the earth cannot be increased. No amount of demand or price increase can create more land. While specific parcels can be improved (e.g., through reclamation or irrigation), the aggregate supply of natural resources as a whole remains constant.
The supply of land does not vary meaningfully with time in economic terms. Saying it is higher in urban than rural areas confuses the density of human settlement with the actual supply of the factor of production. Likewise, the supply of land does not rise with demand, which is precisely what makes it unique among the factors of production and why economists describe its supply curve as perfectly inelastic (vertical).