The A-Z of oil and gas in the Middle East

A: Aramco, before nationalization the Arabian American Oil company, now Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil producer.

B: BP, British Petroleum is a major world oil company.

C: ChevronMobil, US giant with interests in Saudi petrochemicals.

D: Dubai crude which is still a benchmark, although reserves are running out.

E: Empty Quarter, part of Saudi Arabia's desert where Total and Shell have a $2 billion gas exploration contract.

F: Fujairah, UAE port noted for oil bunkering.

G: Ghawar, the largest oil field in Saudi Arabia.

H: Halliburton, much in the news for its contracts restoring the Iraqi oil sector.

I: Iraq State Oil Marketing Organisation, soon to be replaced by a new committee directly under the Prime Minister.

J: Jubail Industrial City, site of many petrochemical plants.

K: Kuwait, where huge oil and gas reserves are entirely under state control, opening of the northern fields to FDI is likely soon.

L: Low oil prices, something not seen this century!

M: Ministry of Petroleum of Iran, now opening up to Western direct investment, though not from the USA.

N: Ali Al Naimi, Minister of Oil, Saudi Arabia.

O: Oman, where oil production has been falling but LNG production is being ramped up.

P: Project Kuwait, a multi-billion dollar expansion of the northern oil fields by foreign oil multinationals, first mooted in 1991.

Q: Qatar, which has invested tens of billions in LNG production and plans to become the world's biggest LNG producer.

R: Ras Laffan, the site of Qatar's huge LNG infrastructure

S: Shell, Anglo-Dutch oil giant with extensive reserves and major projects in Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

T: Total, leading French oil company, big in Abu Dhabi and Iran.

U: UAE, holder of 10% of the world's proven oil reserves.

V: Vienna, headquarters of the oil producers' cartel Opec.

W: WTI crude oil is West Texas Intermediate crude, a global standard.

X: ExxonMobil, US oil major with massive gas interests in Qatar and top oil exporter from Saudi Arabia.

Y: Sheikh Yamani, former 1970s Saudi Oil Minister, whose research orgnisation publishes reports from London.

Z: Zakum, Abu Dhabi's largest oil field where production is being increased as in several huge fields in this emirate.