France's crude Oil production peaked in the late 1980s at 67,000 bbl/d, before declining to only 23,300 bbl/d in 2004. The Paris and Aquitaine Basins contain the bulk of France's production capacity.
 
The largest producer of Crude Oil in France is Vermilion, which controlled some 25% of the sector. Vermilion also operated the single largest field in the country, the 2,850 bbl/d Parentis near Biscarrosse in southwest France.

Despite its lack of domestic crude oil supplies, France is very active in international oil production. The French oil company Total SA is one of the world's largest oil-producing companies. Formed as TotalFinaElf in 2000 by the merger of French Total, Belgian Petrofina, and French Elf Aquitaine,
Total is the fourth-largest private oil producer in the world, with substantial operations in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
 
Source: Energy Information Administration