Which region supplied 51% of the world's oil in 1901?

Which region supplied 51% of the world's oil in 1901?

• A. Baku, Russia
• B. Texas
• C. Persia
• D. Alaska

Answer: (A)

In the early oil era, production was concentrated in a few large regions, and around 1901 one region stood out as the primary global supplier. Baku, on the Caspian Sea in the Russian Empire, had vast, well-developed oil fields and an established export network that allowed it to produce roughly half of the world’s oil—about 51%. That dominance made it the single most important source of oil at the time. The other regions—Texas, Persia, and Alaska—were not yet producing on the same scale: Texas was just beginning its rise, Persia hadn’t reached large-scale production yet, and Alaska’s oil industry was not developed.

In the early oil era, production was concentrated in a few large regions, and around 1901 one region stood out as the primary global supplier. Baku, on the Caspian Sea in the Russian Empire, had vast, well-developed oil fields and an established export network that allowed it to produce roughly half of the world’s oil—about 51%. That dominance made it the single most important source of oil at the time. The other regions—Texas, Persia, and Alaska—were not yet producing on the same scale: Texas was just beginning its rise, Persia hadn’t reached large-scale production yet, and Alaska’s oil industry was not developed.