Shale gas reserves around the world are distributed much more evenly than oil deposits. In fact, the most notable thing about shale reserves is that they are plentiful in the two biggest importing countries, the United States and China, while being almost completely absent in the two greatest oil-producing regions, Russia and the Persian Gulf. The development of shale resources by the export of fracking techniques to other countries has the possibility of completely reversing the energy politics of the last 40 years and creating a whole new balance of power.

The map shows the distribution of shale reserves according to current estimates. Around the globe there is an estimated 188 trillion cubic meters (tcm) of gas, representing more than a third of all known gas resources. The largest deposits appear in the red circles. The smaller reserves in the next 20 countries are listed at the bottom.

via RealClearEnergy – Shale Gas May Upset the World Order.