The word petroleum means stone oil, which consists of the Latin words petro (stone) and oleum (oil). Petroleum is formed by the decomposition of organic materials and exposure to pressure and heat. It contains hydrogen and carbon in its composition, and it contains a small amount of nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. Unrefined liquid oil is called crude oil, semi-solid and solid oil, consisting of heavy hydrocarbons and tar, is called asphalt, pitch, tar and similar names. Since the main components of crude oil are hydrogen and carbon, it is also called hydrocarbon.

Crude oil il is a very important energy input for today's economies. One of the most important reasons for this is the high share of crude oil in the world's total energy consumption. The most important reason for the intensive use of crude oil is the widespread consumption network. Today, it is used in a wide range from electricity generation to transportation. Worldwide, 64.5% of crude oil is used for transportation, 16.6% for non-energy applications, 7.8% for industry, 5.4% for housing and 5.7% for other purposes.

As of 2021, the total crude oil reserve on a global scale is 244.4 billion tons, and Venezuela is the country with the largest share in the distribution of crude oil reserves with a share of 20%. According to the production data of 2021, the largest crude oil producer in the world is the USA, meeting 17% of the world production.

3.58 million tons of crude oil was produced in our country in 2022 and 33.49 million tons of crude oil was imported. Based on these data, it can be concluded that our country is 90% dependent on crude oil imports. Türkiye's producible reserves are approximately 70 million tons as of 2022. In 2022, 191 wells were drilled by drilling 421,408 meters in our country.

Date of Update: 12 July 2023