Saint Pierre and Miquelon

§1. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Introduction

Background:
  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.

§2. Saint Pierre and Miquelon 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 km²
  land: 242 km²
  water: 0 km²
  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 km²

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

§3. Saint Pierre and Miquelon People

Population:
  7,026 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  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.)

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

Population growth rate:
  0.17% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
  -4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  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.)

Infant mortality rate:
  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.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 78.61 years
  male: 76.27 years
  female: 81.06 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  2.01 children born/woman (2006 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%

Languages:
  French (official)

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

§4. Saint Pierre and Miquelon 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

Dependency status:
  self-governing territorial collectivity of France

Government type:
  NA

Capital:
  Saint-Pierre

Administrative divisions:
  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

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

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  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

Legislative branch:
  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

Judicial branch:
  Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:
  Left Radical Party or PRG [leader NA]; Rassemblement pour la Republique or
  RPR (now UMP) [leader NA]; Socialist Party or PS [leader NA]; Union pour la
  Democratie Francaise or UDF [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none (territorial collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  none (territorial 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

§5. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Economy

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 km² 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.

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:
  3,261 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:
  fishing 18%, industry (mainly fish-processing) 41%, services 41% (1996
  est.)

Unemployment rate:
  9.8% (1997)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2.1% (1991-96 average)

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

Agriculture - products:
  vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Industries:
  fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  44.15 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  41.06 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  480 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

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

Exports - commodities:
  fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans,
  fox and mink pelts

Exports - partners:
  Belgium 41.3%, US 19.9%, Spain 14.9%, France 10%, Germany 4.1% (2004)

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

Imports - commodities:
  meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials

Imports - partners:
  France 37.6%, Canada 25.3%, Ireland 25.2%, Italy 5.1% (2004)

Debt - external:
  $NA

Economic aid - recipient:
  approximately $60 million in annual grants from France

Currency (code):
  euro (EUR)

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

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  4,800 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  NA

Telephone system:
  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

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

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

Internet country code:
  .pm

Internet hosts:
  0 (2005)

Internet users:
  NA

§7. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Transportation

Airports:
  2 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 2
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Saint-Pierre

§8. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of France

§9. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none


<Factbook 2006>
