Al-Ghawār
Quick Summary
The Al-Ghawar oil field, discovered in 1948 in Saudi Arabia, is the world's largest conventional oil field. Located in the northeastern part of the Rub' al Khali desert, it extends about 160 miles east of Riyadh. This field holds tens of billions of barrels of oil and is a primary reason for Saudi Arabia's status as a leading oil-producing country.12
Al-Ghawar is situated within the Al-Sharqiyyah region, which contains most of Saudi Arabia's principal petroleum-producing areas. The discovery of extensive oil deposits in the 1930s transformed this region, with Al-Ghawar being a key contributor to Saudi Arabia's vast oil reserves, estimated at around 298 billion barrels. The field began production in 1951 and has generated an estimated 55 billion barrels over its first 60 years.31
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
Saudi ArabiaPetroleumAl-Ghawār, just south of Dhahran and west of Al-Hufūf, is one of the world’s largest oil fields. The first portion of the Al-Ghawār oil field was discovered at ʿAyn Dār in 1948. Intensive exploration of the Rubʿ al-Khali began in 1950, and oil fields were…
Read MoreAl-Ghawār, just south of Dhahran and west of Al-Hufūf, is one of the world’s largest oil fields. The first portion of the Al-Ghawār oil field was discovered at ʿAyn Dār in 1948. Intensive exploration of the Rubʿ al-Khali began in 1950, and oil fields were…
Read More
petroleumSaudi Arabia…leading oil country was the Al-Ghawār oil field. Discovered in 1948 and put into production in 1951, this field has proved to be the world’s largest, generating an estimated 55 billion barrels after 60 years of production. Saudi officials estimate that this field contains more than 120 billion barrels in…
Read More…leading oil country was the Al-Ghawār oil field. Discovered in 1948 and put into production in 1951, this field has proved to be the world’s largest, generating an estimated 55 billion barrels after 60 years of production. Saudi officials estimate that this field contains more than 120 billion barrels in…
Read More
