North America :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • Introduction :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • First settled by the French in the early 17th century, the islands represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. They attained the status of an overseas collectivity in 2003.

  • Geography :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)
    46 50 N, 56 20 W
    North America
    total: 242 sq km
    land: 242 sq km
    water: 0 sq km
    note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups
    country comparison to the world: 214
    one and half times the size of Washington, DC
    0 km
    120 km
    territorial sea: 12 nm
    exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
    cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy
    mostly barren rock
    mean elevation: NA
    elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
    highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m
    fish, deepwater ports
    agricultural land: 8.7%
    arable land 8.7%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0%
    forest: 12.5%
    other: 78.8% (2011 est.)
    0 sq km (2012)
    most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island
    persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard
    recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the environment
    vegetation scanty; the islands are actually part of the northern Appalachians along with Newfoundland

  • People and Society :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • 5,533 (July 2017 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 227
    noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
    adjective: French
    Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)
    French (official)
    Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
    0-14 years: 15.29% (male 437/female 409)
    15-24 years: 9.05% (male 258/female 243)
    25-54 years: 41.79% (male 1,137/female 1,175)
    55-64 years: 13.54% (male 388/female 361)
    65 years and over: 20.33% (male 477/female 648) (2017 est.)
    total: 46.5 years
    male: 46 years
    female: 47 years (2017 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 4
    -1.08% (2017 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 232
    7.1 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 225
    9.9 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 42
    -8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 207
    most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island
    urban population: 90.6% of total population (2017)
    rate of urbanization: 0.09% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
    SAINT-PIERRE (capital) 5,000 (2014)
    at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
    0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
    15-24 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
    25-54 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
    55-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
    65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
    total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
    total: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births
    male: 7.5 deaths/1,000 live births
    female: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 165
    total population: 80.6 years
    male: 78.3 years
    female: 83.1 years (2017 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 37
    1.57 children born/woman (2017 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 186
    NA
    NA
    NA

  • Government :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
    conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon
    local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
    local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
    etymology: Saint-Pierre is named after Saint PETER, the patron saint of fishermen; Miquelon may be a corruption of the Basque name Mikelon
    overseas collectivity of France
    parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France
    name: Saint-Pierre
    geographic coordinates: 46 46 N, 56 11 W
    time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
    daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
    none (territorial overseas collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 2 communes at the second order - Saint Pierre, Miquelon
    none (overseas collectivity collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)
    Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790)
    4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
    French civil law
    see France
    18 years of age; universal
    chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Prefect Jean-Regis BORIUS (since 2016)
    head of government: President of Territorial Council Stephane ARTANO (since 21 February 2007)
    cabinet: Le Cabinet du Prefet
    elections/appointments: French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 23 April and 6 May 2017 (next to be held in 2022); prefect appointed by French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior
    description: unicameral Territorial Council or Conseil Territorial (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed to serve 6-year terms)
    note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 member to the French Senate; elections last held on 28 September 2014 (next to be held not later than September 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AD 1 (affiliated with UMP); Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 member to the French National Assembly; elections last held on 17 June 2012 (next to be held by June 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Ensemble pour l'Avenir 1 (affiliated with PRG)
    elections: elections last held on 19 March 2017 (next to be held in March 2023)
    election results: percent of vote by party - AD 70.2%, Cap sur l'Avenir 29.8%; seats by party - AD 17, Cap sur l'Avenir 2
    highest court(s): Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel (composition NA)
    judge selection and term of office: judge selection and tenure NA
    subordinate courts: NA
    Archipelago Tomorrow or AD (affiliated with UMP)
    Cap sur l'Avenir [Annick GIRARDIN] (affiliated with Left Radical Party)
    Togerther for the Future (Ensemble pour l'Avenir) (affiliated with PRG)
    SPM ensemble
    NA
    UPU, WFTU (NGOs)
    none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)
    none (overseas collectivity of France)
    a yellow three-masted sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a blue background with scattered, white, wavy lines under the ship; a continuous black-over-white wavy line divides the ship from the white wavy lines; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part (called ikkurina) is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the rectangle into four sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one above the other; these three heraldic arms represent settlement by colonists from the Basque Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy; the blue on the main portion of the flag symbolizes the Atlantic Ocean and the stylized ship represents the Grande Hermine in which Jacques Cartier "discovered" the islands in 1536
    note: the flag of France used for official occasions
    16th-century sailing ship
    note: as a collectivity of France, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)

  • Economy :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre.
    The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. Fish farming, crab fishing, and agriculture are being developed to diversify the local economy. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way for development of the energy sector.
    $215.3 million (2006 est.)
    note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million
    country comparison to the world: 219
    $215.3 million (2006 est.)
    NA%
    $34,900 (2006 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 56
    agriculture: 2%
    industry: 15%
    services: 83% (2006 est.)
    vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
    fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism
    NA%
    3,194 (2006)
    country comparison to the world: 225
    agriculture: 18%
    industry: 41%
    services: 41% (1996)
    9.9% (2008 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 131
    NA%
    lowest 10%: NA%
    highest 10%: NA%
    revenues: $70 million
    expenditures: $60 million (1996 est.)
    32.5% of GDP (1996 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 66
    4.6% of GDP (1996 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 8
    calendar year
    4.5% (2010)
    8.1% (2005)
    country comparison to the world: 169
    $6.641 million (2010 est.)
    $5.5 million (2005 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 217
    fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts
    $95.35 million (2010 est.)
    $68.2 million (2005 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 217
    meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials
    $NA
    euros (EUR) per US dollar -
    0.9214 (2016 est.)
    0.885 (2015 est.)
    0.885 (2014 est.)
    0.7634 (2013 est.)
    0.7752 (2012 est.)

  • Energy :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • 47 million kWh (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 208
    43.71 million kWh (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 206
    0 kWh (2016 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 191
    0 kWh (2016 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 195
    27,600 kW (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 203
    97.8% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 40
    0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 176
    0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 199
    2.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 117
    0 bbl/day (2016 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 188
    0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 183
    0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 184
    0 bbl (1 January 2017 es)
    country comparison to the world: 186
    0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 192
    630 bbl/day (2015 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 208
    0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 193
    624.9 bbl/day (2014 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 204
    0 cu m (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 189
    0 cu m (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 126
    0 cu m (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 175
    0 cu m (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 182
    0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)
    country comparison to the world: 189
    200,000 Mt (2013 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 198

  • Communications :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • total subscriptions: 4,800
    subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 80 (July 2016 est.)
    country comparison to the world: 209
    general assessment: adequate
    international: country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; satellite earth station - 1 in French domestic satellite system
    2 TV stations with a third repeater station, all part of the French Overseas Network; radio stations on St. Pierre and on Miquelon are part of the French Overseas Network (2007)
    .pm
    total: 4,500
    percent of population: 79.5% (July 2016 est.)

  • Transportation :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • 2 (2013)
    country comparison to the world: 205
    total: 2
    1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
    914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2017)
    total: 117 km
    paved: 80 km
    unpaved: 37 km (2009)
    country comparison to the world: 215
    major seaport(s): Saint-Pierre

  • Military and Security :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • defense is the responsibility of France

  • Transnational Issues :: SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

  • none