Gasoline prices are rising again. As the global economy recovers, the demand for oil increases. Add the unrest in the Middle East, and prices at the pump are likely to continue moving higher rather than lower.

The six OPEC countries in the Persian Gulf (Saudi Arabic, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates) supplied 18.4 percent of all U.S. crude oil imports in 2009. But who supplied the bulk of the crude oil?

About 100 countries produce crude oil and NGPL(the liquid separated from natural gas during processing that is used in refining petroleum). The United States was the third largest producer of crude oil and NGPLin 2009.

Almost half (48.3 percent) of all U.S. crude oil imports in 2009 were supplied by the twelve countries comprising the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Six of these members are from the Persian Gulf: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 18.4% of the oil imports come from these six countries.

With gasoline again breaking the $3.00 per gallon barrier and violent demonstrations and unrest spreading throughout the Middle East, oil is again in the headlines. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), net imports accounted for 51% of the total petroleum consumed in the U.S. in 2009.