PETKOLEUM. 
5 
tion onty. 1 The intermediate fields of Wyoming 2 do not come within 
this rough geographic classification, but with further development 
they will presumably be joined by pipe lines 3 with the group of the 
eastern half of the country. It will be observed that the Kansas- 
Oldahoma field of the eastern group and the California field are 
about equal in production and dominate the petroleum output of this 
country, together contributing over two-thirds of the total supply. 
(See fig. 7.) 
The development of petroleum production in the United States 
from 1881 to 1917 is indicated graphically by the chart (fig. 3). 
From the situation there depicted, two features of particular signifi- 
cance stand out — the slow increase in domestic production up to 1900, 
less marked than the increase in the corresponding foreign produc- 
tion, and the rapid domestic growth between 1900 and 1917, con- 
M ILL IONS OF BARRELS 
SO 100 150 ZOO ZS O ■ 300 
UNITED .STATE 5 
1 | | [ | 
RU5SIA 
5 1 j ( 
MEXICO 
1 ' ! : < 1 1 | 
DUTCH EAST IIYDJES K | ' ! ‘ ‘ , 
ROUKANIA 
® , ! i ; i 
INDIA 
; 1 1 i 
GALICIA 
p 1 1 , ■ 1 1 
ALL OTHERS 
ss 1 1 1 | 1 * 
i 1 1 1 I 1 i 
Fig. 1. — World's production of petroleum in 1916. Data from U. S. Geological 
Survey. 
trasted with a nearly constant production for foreign countries dur- 
ing that period. This emphasizes the fact that since the beginning of 
the twentieth century, the rapidly increasing use of petroleum 
throughout the world has been met largely through the intensive ex- 
ploitation of American deposits. Thus the United States has as- 
sumed a dominant position in respect to this commodity, producing 
now two-thirds of the world’s supply. 
2. THE INDUSTRY. 
The activities concerned with the production, transportation, re- 
fining, and distribution of petroleum constitute the petroleum indus- 
try. In quantity, value, and importance of production, this indus- 
trial field stands among the foremost in the country. It is notable, 
especially, for the scope of its operations, which embrace diverse 
activities usually the functions of separate industries — a characteris- 
1 Also by water transportation through the Panama Canal. 
2 Including Colorado. 
3 Probably by way of the shale-oil region of Colorado. (See map, fig. 2.) 
