Egypt is one of the first countries in the world to take the lead in the various stages of the petroleum industry. In 1886, the first well was drilled in the area of Jamsa (470 km from Cairo) on the west coast of the Red Sea. Commercial production started in 1910, followed by many oil discoveries. In 1961, the first offshore oil field was discovered in Egypt and in Middle East (Belayiem offshore).
Western
Desert represent the largest share from oil production in Egypt 56 % followed by Gulf Of
Suez 23% , Eastern Desert 12% and Sinai 9%, produced by 43 companies the most
important of them are (Khalda, PETROBEL, GUPCO, General Petroleum Company,
AGIBA, BAPETCO……etc), and the most important international oil companies
working in Egypt (APACHE, ENI, Dragon Oil and SHELL)