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

location

46.50° N, 56. 20° W
Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)

area

242 sq km
land
242 sq km
water
0 sq km

land boundaries

0 km

coastline

120 km

climate

cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy

terrain

mostly barren rock

elevation

lowest point
Atlantic Ocean
0
highest point
Morne de la Grande Montagne
240

natural resources

  • fish
  • deepwater ports

land use

arable land
8.7 %
permanent crops
0 %
permanent pasture
0 %
forest
12.5 %
other
78.8 %

population distribution

most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island

people

population

  • 5,347
  • 228
    global rank

nationality

  • Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
    noun
  • French
    adjective

ethnic groups

  • Basques and Bretons

languages

  • French
    official

religions

Roman Catholic
99 %
other
1 %

birth rate

  • 6.7
    per 1,000 population
  • 228
    global rank

death rate

  • 10.9
    per 1,000 population
  • 23
    global rank

urban population

90 %

major urban areas

  • Saint-Pierre
    pop. 6,000

life expectancy

  • 81
    total population
  • 41
    global rank
78.6
male
83.5
female

government

country name

    conventional

  • Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
    long form
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
    short form

    local

  • Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
    long form
  • Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
    short form

government type

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

capital

Saint-Pierre
46.46 N, 56.11 W

independence

national holidays

  • Fete de la Federation
    14 July

legal system

French civil law

age of suffrage

18

flag description

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

economy

overview

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 services sector accounted for 86% of GDP in 2010, the last year data is available for. Government employment accounts for than 46% of the GDP, and 78% of the population is working age. 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. Trade is the second largest sector in terms of value added created, where it contributes significantly to economic activity. The extractive industries and energy sector is the third largest sector of activity in the archipelago, attributable in part to the construction of a new thermal power plant in 2015.

GDP

261,300,000 USD
2015

agriculture products

  • vegetables
  • poultry
  • cattle
  • sheep
  • pigs
  • fish

budget

  • 70,000,000
    revenue (USD)
  • 60,000,000
    expenditures (USD)

communications

broadcast media

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

internet

.pm
country code

    users

  • 4,500
    total
  • 79.5
    % of population
  • 215
    global rank

energy

This entry doesn't have any available energy data.

transportation

air transport

    airports

  • 2
    total
  • 2
    paved

roadways

117 km
total length

military

This entry doesn't have any available military data.