'''Big Oil''' is a pejorative term used to describe the major [[petroleum]] companies such as [[ExxonMobil]], [[Chevron-Texaco]], [[BP]], [[Total]], [[ConocoPhillips]] and [[Royal Dutch Shell]]. These are some of the largest [[corporation]]s in the world, although several other state-owned oil companies are also becoming large oil exploration and production companies. These are Saudi [[Saudi Aramco]], Russia’s [[Gazprom]], [[NIOC]] of Iran, Venezuela’s [[PDVSA]], [[CNPC]] of China, Brazil’s [[Petrobras]] and Petronas according to the Financial Times.<ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/471ae1b8-d001-11db-94cb-000b5df10621.html The new Seven Sisters: oil and gas giants dwarf western rivals]</ref>
== Politics ==