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.

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

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

0 km

120 km

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

mostly barren rock

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

fish, deepwater ports

arable land: 12.5%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 87.5% (2005)

NA

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

7,026 (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 23.5% (male 843/female 807)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,342/female 2,272)
65 years and over: 10.8% (male 348/female 414) (2006 est.)

total: 34.1 years
male: 33.7 years
female: 34.5 years (2006 est.)

0.17% (2006 est.)

13.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

-4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 7.38 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 78.61 years
male: 76.27 years
female: 81.06 years (2006 est.)

2.01 children born/woman (2006 est.)

NA

NA

NA

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

Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Roman Catholic 99%

French (official)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1982 est.)

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

self-governing territorial collectivity of France

NA

Saint-Pierre

none (territorial collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are two communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon at the second order

none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

French law with special adaptations for local conditions, such as housing and taxation

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Albert DUPUY (since 10 January 2005)
head of government: President of the General Council Marc PLANTAGENEST (since NA)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held, first round - 21 April 2002, second round - 5 May 2002 (next to be held in 2007); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the General Council is elected by the members of the council

unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: elections last held 19 and 26 March 2000 (next to be held in April 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PS 12, PRG 2, UDF-RPR 5
note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate; elections last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2013); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDF 1

Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel

Left Radical Party or PRG; Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR (now UMP); Socialist Party or PS; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF

NA

UPU, WFTU

none (territorial collectivity of France)

none (territorial collectivity of France)

a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a dark blue background with yellow wavy lines under the ship; 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 flag of France is used for official occasions

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. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France to the great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way for development of the energy sector.

$48.3 million
note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million (2003 est.)

NA

NA%

$7,000 (2001 est.)

agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

3,261 (1999)

agriculture: 18%
industry: 41%
services: 41% (1996 est.)

9.8% (1997)

NA%

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

2.1% (1991-96 average)

revenues: $70 million
expenditures: $60 million; including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.)

vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism

NA%

44.15 million kWh (2003)

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

41.06 million kWh (2003)

0 kWh (2003)

0 kWh (2003)

0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

480 bbl/day (2003 est.)

NA bbl/day

NA bbl/day

0 cu m (2003 est.)

0 cu m (2003 est.)

$7 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts

Belgium 41.3%, US 19.9%, Spain 14.9%, France 10%, Germany 4.1% (2004)

$70 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials

France 37.6%, Canada 25.3%, Ireland 25.2%, Italy 5.1% (2004)

$NA

approximately $60 million in annual grants from France

euro (EUR)

EUR

euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)

calendar year

4,800 (2002)

NA

general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

4,000 (1997)

0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997)

4,000 (1997)

.pm

0 (2005)

1 (2000)

NA

2 (2005)

total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2005)

Saint-Pierre

defense is the responsibility of France

none