Petroleum, along with oil and coal, is classified as a fossil fuel. It is called a fossil fuel because it was formed from the remains of tiny sea plants and animals that died millions of years ago. Nowadays, Americans use more petroleum than any other energy source, mostly for transportation. Petroleum has brought enumerable benefits to human civilization; quality of life and dynamic prosperity is fueled by this precious, miraculous resource. The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing petroleum products. Petroleum-based technologies have transformed the global economy, providing mobility unimaginable to previous generations.