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.
Location
Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)
Geographic coordinates
46 50 N, 56 20 W
Map references
North America
Area
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
Area - comparative
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
120 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Climate
cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy
Terrain
mostly barren rock
Elevation extremes
lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point
Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m
Natural resources
fish, deepwater ports
Land use
arable land
12.5%
permanent crops
0%
other
87.5% (2005)
Irrigated land
NA
Natural hazards
persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues
recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the environment
Geography - note
vegetation scanty
Population
7,036 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
23% (male 827/female 790)
15-64 years
65.9% (male 2,352/female 2,288)
65 years and over
11.1% (male 359/female 420) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
34.6 years
male
34.1 years
female
35 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
0.128% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
13.08 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
6.82 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-4.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.047 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.028 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.855 male(s)/female
total population
1.011 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
7.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male
8.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female
6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
78.76 years
male
76.41 years
female
81.23 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
2 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
Nationality
noun
Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective
French
Ethnic groups
Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)
Religions
Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
Languages
French (official)
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
99%
male
99%
female
99% (1982 est.)
Country name
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
Dependency status
self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France
Government type
NA
Capital
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
Administrative divisions
none (territorial overseas 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
Independence
none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)
National holiday
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system
the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by Prefect Yves FAUQUEUR (since 28 August 2006)
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 21 April 2002 (first round) and 5 May 2002 (second round) (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
Legislative branch
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats, 15 from Saint Pierre and four from Miquelon; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: elections last held 19 and 26 in March 2006 (next to be held in March 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AD 16, Cap sur l'Avenir 2, SPM Ensemble 1
note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect one 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 one seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDF 1
Judicial branch
Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel
Political parties and leaders
Archipelago Tomorrow or AD affiliated with UDF/RPR list; Cap sur l'Avenir affiliated with PRG; Left Radical Party or PRG; Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR (now UMP); Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2000/Avenir Miquelon or SPM 2000/AM; Socialist Party or PS; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF
Political pressure groups and leaders
NA
International organization participation
UPU, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US
none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)
Flag description
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
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. 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. France heavily subsidizes the islands to the great betterment of living standards. 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$48.3 million
note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million (2003 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
NA
GDP - real growth rate
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$7,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
NA%
industry
NA%
services
NA%
Labor force
3,450 (2005)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
18%
industry
41%
services
41% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate
10.3% (1999)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
8.1% (2005)
Budget
revenues
$70 million
expenditures
$60 million; including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.)
Agriculture - products
Industries
fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Electricity - production
50 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
100%
hydro
0%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
46.5 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
500 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Exports
$5.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities
fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts
Exports - partners
Spain 33.6%, Belgium 21.8%, India 18.3%, France 9.4%, US 7.5% (2006)
Imports
$68.2 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities
meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials
Imports - partners
France 51.3%, Canada 31.8%, Belgium 4.1% (2006)
Debt - external
$NA
Economic aid - recipient
approximately $60 million in annual grants from France
Currency (code)
euro (EUR)
Currency code
EUR
Exchange rates
euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
4,800 (2002)
Telephone system
general assessment
adequate
domestic
NA
international
country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; satellite earth station - 1 in French domestic satellite system
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios
4,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
0 (2 repeaters rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997)
