Introduction
Background
First settled by the French in the early 17th century, Saint Pierre and Miquelon are the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. They attained the status of an overseas collectivity in 2003.
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Geography
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
comparison ranking: total 214
Area - comparative
one and half times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
total: 0 km
Coastline
120 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate
cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy
Terrain
mostly barren rock
Elevation
highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Natural resources
fish, deepwater ports
Land use
agricultural land: 8.7% (2018 est.)
arable land: 8.7% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
forest: 12.5% (2018 est.)
other: 78.8% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land
0 sq km (2022)
Population distribution
most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island
Natural hazards
persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard
Geography - note
vegetation scanty; the islands are part of the northern Appalachians, along with Newfoundland
People and Society
Population
total: 5,132
male: 2,476
female: 2,656 (2024 est.)
comparison rankings: female 227; male 227; total 227
Nationality
noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French
Ethnic groups
Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)
Languages
French (official)
major-language sample(s):
The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
Age structure
0-14 years: 13.1% (male 346/female 328)
15-64 years: 61.6% (male 1,559/female 1,600)
65 years and over: 25.3% (2024 est.) (male 571/female 728)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 52
youth dependency ratio: 26.1
elderly dependency ratio: 25.9
potential support ratio: 3.9 (2021)
Median age
total: 51.2 years (2024 est.)
male: 50.5 years
female: 51.9 years
comparison ranking: total 2
Population distribution
most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island
Urbanization
urban population: 90.1% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
6,000 SAINT-PIERRE (capital) (2018)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
male: 9.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.8 deaths/1,000 live births
comparison ranking: total 148
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 81.8 years (2024 est.)
male: 79.5 years
female: 84.3 years
comparison ranking: total population 41
Gross reproduction rate
0.78 (2024 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: NA
rural: NA
total: 91.4% of population
unimproved: urban: NA
rural: NA
total: 8.6% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: NA
rural: NA
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: NA
rural: NA
total: 0% of population (2020)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
64.1% (2023 est.)
Literacy
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Environment
Environment - current issues
overfishing; recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the environment
Climate
cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy
Land use
agricultural land: 8.7% (2018 est.)
arable land: 8.7% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
forest: 12.5% (2018 est.)
other: 78.8% (2018 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 90.1% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Government
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
etymology: Saint-Pierre is named after Saint PETER, the patron saint of fishermen; Miquelon may be a corruption of the Basque name Mikelon
Government type
parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France
Dependency status
overseas collectivity of France
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
etymology: named after Saint Peter, the patron saint of fisherman
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 2 communes at the second order - Saint Pierre, Miquelon
Independence
none (overseas collectivity collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)
National holiday
Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)
Legal system
French civil law
Constitution
history: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
amendments: amendment procedures of France's constitution apply
Citizenship
see France
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Prefect Christian POUGET (since 6 January 2021)
head of government: President of Territorial Council Bernard BRIAND (since 13 October 2020)
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 10 April and 24 April 2022 (next to be held in 2027); prefect appointed by French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; Territorial Council president elected by Territorial Council councilors by absolute majority vote; term NA; election last held on 13 October 2020 (next to be held in NA)
election results:
2020: Bernard BRIAND elected President of Territorial Council; Territorial Council vote - 17 for, 2 abstentions
2017: Stephane LENORMAND elected President of Territorial Council vote - NA
Legislative branch
description: unicameral Territorial Council or Conseil Territorial (19 seats - Saint Pierre 15, Miquelon 4; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed to serve 6-year terms);
Saint Pierre and Miquelon indirectly elects 1 senator to the French Senate by an electoral college to serve a 6-year term and directly elects 1 deputy to the French National Assembly by absolute majority vote to serve a 5-year term
elections: Territorial Council - first round held on 20 March and second round held on 27 March 2022 (next to be held in March 2028)
French Senate - last held on 27 September 2020 (next to be held no later than September 2025)
French National Assembly - last held on 12 and 19 June 2022 (next to be held by June 2027)
election results: Territorial Council - percent of vote by party in first round - AD 45.9%, Focus on the Future 37%, Together to Build 17.1%; percent of vote by party in second round - AD 51.8%, Focus on the Future 38.1%, Together to Build 10.1%, seats by party - AD 15, Focus on the Future 4; composition - men NA, women NA, percent of women NA%
French Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PS 1 (affiliated with UMP)
French National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AD 1
Judicial branch
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
Political parties
Archipelago Tomorrow (Archipel Domain) or AD (affiliated with The Republicans)
Focus on the Future (Cap sur l'Avenir) (affiliated with Left Radical Party)
Together to Build (Ensemble pour Construire)
International organization participation
UPU, WFTU (NGOs)
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (overseas territory of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US
embassy: none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)
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
note: the flag of France used for official occasions
National symbol(s)
16th-century sailing ship
National anthem
note: as a collectivity of France, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)
Economy
Economic overview
high-income, French North American territorial economy; primarily fishing exports; substantial French Government support; highly seasonal labor force; euro user; increasing tourism and aquaculture investments
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$261.3 million (2015 est.)
(2006)
note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million
comparison ranking: 219
GDP (official exchange rate)
$261.3 million (2015 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 2% (2006 est.)
industry: 15% (2006 est.)
services: 83% (2006 est.)
comparison rankings: services 25; industry 182; agriculture 176
Agricultural products
vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Industries
fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism
Budget
revenues: $70 million (1996 est.)
expenditures: $60 million (1996 est.)
Exports - partners
Canada 84%, France 11%, Ireland 3%, Slovakia 1%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 0% (2022)
note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Exports - commodities
processed crustaceans, shellfish, fish, special purpose motor vehicles, vehicle parts/accessories (2022)
note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Imports - partners
France 52%, Canada 42%, Netherlands 2%, Germany 1%, Belgium 1% (2022)
note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, packaged medicine, other foods, plastic products, cars (2022)
note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Exchange rates
euros (EUR) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
0.925 (2023 est.)
0.95 (2022 est.)
0.845 (2021 est.)
0.876 (2020 est.)
0.893 (2019 est.)
Energy
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 26,000 kW (2022 est.)
consumption: 48.714 million kWh (2022 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 2 million kWh (2022 est.)
comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 5; consumption 204; installed generating capacity 204
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Petroleum
refined petroleum consumption: 400 bbl/day (2022 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
59,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 59,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
comparison ranking: total emissions 212
Communications
Telephones - fixed lines
total subscriptions: 4,800 (2015 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 76 (2015 est.)
comparison ranking: total subscriptions 206
Telecommunication systems
general assessment: adequate (2019)
domestic: fixed-line teledensity 76 per 100 persons (2019)
international: country code - 508; landing point for the St Pierre and Miquelon Cable connecting Saint Pierre & Miquelon and Canada; radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; satellite earth station - 1 in French domestic satellite system (2019)
Broadcast media
8 TV stations, all part of the French Overseas Network, and local cable provided by SPM Telecom; 3 of 4 radio stations on St. Pierre and on Miquelon are part of the French Overseas Network (2021)
Internet users
total: 5,099 (2022 est.)
percent of population: 88.7% (2022 est.)
comparison ranking: total 223
Transportation
Ports
total ports: 2 (2024)
large: 0
medium: 0
small: 1
very small: 0
size unknown: 1
ports with oil terminals: 1
key ports: Miquelon, St. Pierre
Military and Security
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of France