Ecopetrol, formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos S.A (English: Colombian Petroleum Co.), not to be confused with the US owned and operated Colombian Petroleum Co. (COLPET) and sister company South American Gulf Oil Co. (SAGOC) dating to the 1930s which were taken over by the state owned Ecopetrol in the 1970s, is the largest and primary petroleum company in Colombia. As a result of its continuous growth, Ecopetrol forms part of the Fortun 500 and was ranked 346 in 2012. The company belongs to the group of 25 largest petroleum companies in the world, and it is one of the four principal petroleum companies in Latina America