Guide Note

BP is the third largest oil company in the world, and though based in England, is a multinational company with many international divisions. It was formerly known as British Petroleum, and is one of six vertically-integrated private-sector energy companies called "supermajors." It was first founded in 1908 to explore petroleum prospects in the Middle East.

Fast Facts

1. Stock symbol: BP (NYSE, LSE, TSX)
2. Annual revenue (2007): $291.4 billion
3. Founder: William Knox D'Arcy
4. Year established: 1954
5. Began in 1908 as the as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC)
6. Industry: Fossil and alternative fuels
7. Phone: 44-20-7496-4000
8. Fax: 44-20-7496-4630
9. HQ: London, England
10. CEO: Tony Hayward
11. CFO: Byron Elmer Grote
12. Staff: 97,600

Key Dates

1. May, 1901: William Knox D'Arcy is granted permission by the Shah of Iran to search for oil
2. May, 1908: D'arcy finds the first commercially significant oil supply in the Middle East
3. April 14, 1909: The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) is founded
4. 1935: Name changed to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC)
5. 1979: During the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini seizes entirety of the company's assets, but it stays in business due to other international assets
6. 1984-87: British government sells its holdings in the company
7. December, 1998: Merges with Amoco, becoming BPAmoco
8. 2000: Renamed BP, using tagline "Beyond Petroluem"