Petroleum

Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and oleum – oil), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. A widely believed myth is that the oil itself is flammable, however it is actually the gas that evaporates from the oil that is flammable. Petroleum exists in the upper strata of some areas of the Earth's crust. Another name is naphtha, from Persian naft or nafátá (to flow). It consists of a complex mixture of various hydrocarbons, largely of the alkane series, but may vary much in appearance, composition, and purity. It is an important "primary energy" source (IEA Key World Energy Statistics). Petroleum is also the raw material for many chemical products, including solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics.

Top petroleum-producing countries

Source: Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government

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(Ordered by amount (barrels per day) produced in 2004):

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• Saudi Arabia (OPEC)
• Russia
• United States
• Iran (OPEC)
• Mexico
• China
• Norway
• Canada
• Venezuela (OPEC)
• United Arab Emirates (OPEC)
• Kuwait (OPEC)
• Nigeria (OPEC)
• United Kingdom
• Iraq

(Ordered by amount exported in 2003):

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• Saudi Arabia (OPEC)
• Russia
• Norway
• Iran (OPEC)
• United Arab Emirates (OPEC)
• Venezuela (OPEC)
• Kuwait (OPEC)
• Nigeria (OPEC)
• Mexico
• Algeria (OPEC)
• Libya (OPEC)

Note that the USA consumes almost all of its own production.

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Total world production/consumption (as of 2005) is approximately 84 million barrels per day.

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See also: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

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