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| Saint Pierre and Miquelon |

Introduction | Saint Pierre and Miquelon

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.

Geography | Saint Pierre and Miquelon

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 sq km
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

People | Saint Pierre and Miquelon

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.)

Government | Saint Pierre and Miquelon

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

Economy | Saint Pierre and Miquelon

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. 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 - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
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 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (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)
Currency code: | 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

Communications | Saint Pierre and Miquelon

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)
Radios: | 4,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997)
Televisions: | 4,000 (1997)
Internet country code: | .pm
Internet hosts: | 0 (2005)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000)
Internet users: | NA

Transportation | Saint Pierre and Miquelon

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

Military | Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Military - note: | defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues | Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Disputes - international: | none

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006