December 23

On this day - 23 December 1969 - Oil was found in Norway

No one had expected to find the amount of oil they did outside of Norway when Phillip Petroleum Company started looking for it in the 1960s.  In the 1950s had even the likelihood of finding oil this far north considered extremely unlikely. Phillip discover oil in an area which have been titled "Ekofisk" field in 1969. This is one of the largest oil-fields found in an ocean. Pre-production started in the area in 1971 and official production in 1974. Oil have since played an important part of almost all aspects of Norway and it is the most important source of income in Noway. In the year 2000, when Norwegian oil production was on top, were Norway the third largest oil- and gass exporter in the world. Oil is still being produced in the Ekosfisk field today.