Saint Pierre and Miquelon

File:Map Saint Pierre et Miquelon.svg

Map of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell),<ref>Template:MW</ref> officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Template:Langx), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.<ref name="cia">Template:Citation</ref><ref name="britannica.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An archipelago of eight islands, St. Pierre and Miquelon is a vestige of the once-vast territory of New France.<ref name="cia"/> Its residents are French citizens. The collectivity elects its own deputy to the National Assembly and participates in senatorial and presidential elections. It covers Template:Cvt of land and had a population of 5,819 Template:As of. Saint Pierre and Miquelon is an Overseas Country and Territory (OCT) of the European Union, although not an integral part of it. It is neither part of the Schengen area, nor of the European customs territory. On the other hand, Saint Pierre and Miquelon is part of the Eurozone, and its inhabitants have European Union citizenship.<ref name=population /> The territory is also part of the Regional Joint Cooperation Commission (Atlantic Canada Cooperation) and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization.

The islands are in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near the entrance of Fortune Bay, which extends into the southwestern coast of Newfoundland, near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.<ref name="iarc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> St. Pierre is Template:Convert from Point May on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland and Template:Convert from Brest, the nearest city in Metropolitan France.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The tiny Canadian Green Island lies Template:Convert east of Saint Pierre, roughly halfway to Point May.

Etymology

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is French for Saint Peter, the patron saint of fishermen.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The present name of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} was first noted in the form of Micquetô, Miqueton or Micquellon in the French Basque sailor Martin de Hoyarçabal's 1579 navigational pilot for Newfoundland, Les voyages aventureux du Capitaine Martin de Hoyarsabal, habitant du çubiburu: Template:Quote

It has been claimed that the name Miquelon is a Basque form of Michael; Mikel and Mikels are usually named Mikelon in the Basque Country. Therefore, from Mikelon, it may have been written in the French way with a qu instead of a k.<ref name="Cormier">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=tourism>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Basque Country is divided between Spain and France, and most Basques live south of the border. As such, Miquelon may have been influenced by the Spanish name {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, an augmentative form of Miguel meaning "big Michael". The adjoined island's name of "Langlade" is said to be an adaptation of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Englishman's Island).<ref name=tourism/>

History

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Before 1900

Archaeological evidence indicates that Indigenous peoples, such as the Beothuk, visited St Pierre and Miquelon. However, it is not thought that they settled on the islands permanently.Template:Cn On 21 October 1520, the Portuguese explorer João Álvares Fagundes landed on the islands and named the St. Pierre island group the 'Eleven Thousand Virgins' (Template:Langx), as the day marked the feast day of St. Ursula and her virgin companions.<ref>Template:Google books By Adrian Room</ref> In 1536 Jacques Cartier claimed the islands as a French possession on behalf of the King of France, Francis I.<ref name="1999-insee-731" /> Though already frequented by Mi'kmaq people<ref name="gb-11">Template:Google books By Robert Aldrich, John Connell</ref> and by Basque and Breton fishermen,<ref name="1999-insee-731" /> the islands were not permanently settled until the end of the 17th century: four permanent inhabitants were counted in 1670, and 22 in 1691.<ref name="1999-insee-731" />

In 1670, during Jean Talon's second tenure as Intendant of New France, a French officer annexed the islands after he discovered a dozen fishermen from France encamped there, naming them Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. During King William's War and Queen Anne's War, English forces launched multiple attacks against French colonial settlements on the islands, and by the early 18th century the colonists had abandoned Saint-Pierre and Miquelon altogether.<ref name="gb-11" /> In the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession, France ceded the islands to Britain.<ref name="gb-11" /> The British renamed the island of Saint-Pierre to Saint Peter, and small numbers of colonists from Great Britain and Britain's American colonies began to settle on the islands.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Under the terms of the 1763 Treaty of Paris, which put an end to the Seven Years' War, France ceded all its North American possessions to Britain, though the British granted fishing rights to French fishermen along the Newfoundland coast, and as part of that arrangement returned Saint-Pierre and Miquelon to France's control.<ref name="gb-12">Template:Google books By Benoit Prieur</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After France entered the American Revolutionary War on the side of the United States and declared war on Britain, a British force invaded Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and briefly occupied them, destroying all colonial settlements on the islands and deporting 2,000 colonists back to France.<ref name="gb-16"/> In 1793, during the French Revolutionary Wars, another British force landed in Saint-Pierre and, in the following year, again deported the French colonial population, and tried to establish a community of Anglophone settlers.<ref name="gb-11"/>

The nascent British colony was in turn attacked by the French Navy in 1796. The Treaty of Amiens of 1802 returned the islands to France, but Britain reoccupied them when hostilities recommenced the next year.<ref name="gb-11"/> The 1814 Treaty of Paris gave the islands back to France, though the UK occupied them yet again during the Hundred Days in 1815. When France immediately reclaimed the uninhabited islands, it found all structures and buildings destroyed or fallen into disrepair.<ref name="gb-11"/> The islands were resettled in 1816 by Basques, Bretons and Normans, joined by various other peoples, particularly from the nearby island of Newfoundland.<ref name="1999-insee-731"/> Only around the middle of the century did increased fishing bring a certain prosperity to the little colony.<ref name="gb-11"/>

1900–1945

In 1903, the colony toyed with the idea of joining the United States, but nothing came of the idea.<ref name=willing>Template:Cite news</ref> During the early 1910s, the colony suffered severely as a result of unprofitable fisheries, and large numbers of its people emigrated to Nova Scotia and Quebec.<ref name="1911a">Template:Cite EB1922</ref> The draft imposed on all male inhabitants of conscript age after the beginning of World War I in 1914 crippled the fisheries, as their catch could not be processed by the older men or the women and children.<ref name="1911a"/> About 400 men from the colony served in the French military during World War I (1914–1918), 25% of whom died.<ref name="gb-14"/> The increase in the adoption of steam trawlers in the fisheries also contributed to the reduction in employment opportunities.<ref name="1911a"/>

Smuggling had always been an important economic activity in the islands; however, it became especially prominent in the 1920s with the institution of Prohibition in the United States from January 1920.<ref name="gb-14">Template:Google books By Mark Bourrie</ref> In 1931, the archipelago was reported by The New York Times to have imported Template:Convert of whisky from Canada in 12 months, most of it to be smuggled into the United States.<ref name="pro-nyt">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The end of Prohibition in 1933 plunged the islands once more into economic depression.<ref name="bbc-sm">Template:Cite news</ref>

During World War II, despite opposition from Canada, Britain,<ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the United States, Charles de Gaulle's Free French Forces seized the archipelago from Vichy France, to which the local administrator had pledged its allegiance, in December 1941. In referendums on both islands, the population endorsed the takeover by Free France by over 98%.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="gb-15">Template:Google books By Fitzroy André Baptiste</ref>

File:Rue Albert Briand, Saint-Pierre's pedestrianized street lined with bars and restaurants.jpg

Rue Albert Briand, Saint-Pierre's pedestrianized street lined with bars and restaurants

After 1945

The colony became a French Overseas Territory in 1946. After the 1958 French constitutional referendum, the territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon was asked to choose one of three options: becoming fully integrated with France, becoming a self-governing state within the French Community, or preserving the status of an overseas territory; it decided to remain a territory.<ref name="herald">Template:Cite news</ref> The archipelago became an overseas territory in 1946, then an overseas department on 19 July 1976,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:In lang</ref> before it acquired the status of territorial collectivity on 11 June 1985, thus withdrawing from the European Communities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:In lang</ref><ref name="rece-2006">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Politics

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Since March 2003, Saint Pierre and Miquelon has been an overseas collectivity with a special status.<ref name="cia"/> The archipelago has two communes: Saint-Pierre and Miquelon-Langlade.<ref name="sodepar-statut">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A third commune, Isle-aux-Marins, existed until 1945, when it was absorbed by the municipality of Saint-Pierre.<ref name="1999-insee-731"/> The inhabitants possess French citizenship and suffrage.<ref name="brit-1"/> Saint Pierre and Miquelon sends a senator and a deputy to the National Assembly of France in Paris and enjoys a degree of autonomy concerning taxes, customs, and excise.<ref name="gb-16">Template:Google books By Bill Marshall</ref><ref name="cia"/>

France appoints the prefect of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, who represents the national government in the territory.<ref name="bbc-sm"/> The prefect is in charge of national interests, law enforcement, public order, and, under the conditions set by the statute of 1985, administrative control.<ref name="pref">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since 21 August 2023, the prefect has been Bruno André.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The local legislative body, the Territorial Council (Template:Langx), has 19 members: four councillors from Miquelon-Langlade and 15 from Saint-Pierre.<ref name="sodepar-statut"/><ref name="cia"/> The President of the Territorial Council is the head of a delegation of "France in the name of Saint Pierre and Miquelon" for international events such as the annual meetings of NAFO and ICCAT.<ref name="sodepar-statut"/>

Defence and gendarmerie

France is responsible for the defence of the islands.<ref name="cia"/> The French Navy has maintained a patrol boat, the ex-trawler Fulmar, in the region since 1997.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Law enforcement in Saint Pierre and Miquelon is the responsibility of a branch of the French Gendarmerie Nationale; there are two police stations in the archipelago.<ref name="Prefecture site">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Maritime boundary case

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File:Saint-Pierre and Miquelon EEZ map-en.svg

Map of the exclusive economic zone of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

France claimed a Template:Convert exclusive economic zone for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and in August 1983 the naval ship Lieutenant de vaisseau Le Hénaff and the seismic ship Lucien Beaufort were sent to explore for oil in the disputed zone.<ref name="gb-13"/> In addition to the potential oil reserves, cod fishing rights on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland were at stake in the dispute. In the late 1980s, indications of declining fish stocks began to raise serious concern over the depletion of the fishery.<ref name="gb-13">Template:Google books By Steven Kendall Holloway</ref> In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of Template:Convert to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought.<ref name="cia"/>

The 1992 decision fixed the maritime boundaries between Canada and the islands, but did not demarcate the continental shelf.<ref name="economist">Template:Cite news</ref>

Geography

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Located off the western end of the Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula, the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon comprises eight islands, totalling Template:Convert, of which only two are inhabited.<ref name="cia"/><ref name="ann-2010-1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The islands are bare and rocky, with steep coasts, and only a thin layer of peat to soften the hard landscape.<ref name="htg">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The islands, like Newfoundland, are geologically part of the northeastern end of the Appalachian Mountains.<ref name="cia"/>

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, the largest island, is in fact composed of two islands; Miquelon Island (also called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Template:Cvt) is connected to Langlade Island ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Template:Cvt) by the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (also known as the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), a Template:Convert long sandy tombolo.<ref name="rece-2006"/><ref name="britannica.com"/> A storm severed them in the 18th century, separating the two islands for several decades, before currents reconstructed the isthmus.<ref name="1999-insee-731"/> {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, the tallest point in the territory at 240 meters high, is located on Grande Miquelon.<ref name="cia"/> The waters between Langlade and Saint-Pierre were called "the Mouth of Hell" (Template:Langx) until about 1900, as more than 600 shipwrecks have been recorded in that point since 1800.<ref name="maplepedia">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> In the north of Miquelon Island is the village of Miquelon-Langlade (710 inhabitants), while Langlade Island is almost deserted (only one inhabitant in the 1999 census).<ref name="1999-insee-731"/>

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, whose area is smaller, Template:Convert, is the most populous and the commercial and administrative center of the archipelago. Saint-Pierre Airport has been in operation since 1999 and is capable of accommodating long-haul flights from France.<ref name="rece-2006"/>

A third, formerly inhabited island, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, known as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} until 1931 and located a short distance from the port of Saint-Pierre, has been uninhabited since 1963.<ref name="1999-insee-731"/> The other main islands are {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

• Saint-Pierre and Miquelon 3D.png

  Vertically exaggerated model of the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

• Sainte-Pierre aerial.jpg

  Saint-Pierre aerial photo, 2013. Saint-Pierre Airport is at the lower right.

• StPierre003.JPG

  Aerial view of St Pierre, the capital and largest town

Environment

Template:See also Seabirds are the most common fauna.<ref name="brit-1">Template:Britannica</ref> Seals and other wildlife can be found in the Grand Barachois Lagoon of Miquelon. Every spring, whales migrating to Greenland are visible off the coasts of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Trilobite fossils have been found on Langlade. The stone pillars off the island coasts called "L'anse aux Soldats" eroded away and disappeared in the 1970s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The rocky islands are barren, except for scrubby yews and junipers and thin volcanic soil.<ref name="maplepedia"/> The forest cover of the hills, except in parts of Langlade, had been removed for fuel long ago.<ref name="brit-1"/>

Climate

File:Port of saint-pierre, SPM.jpg

Port of Miquelon during the winter

In spite of being located at a similar latitude to the Bay of Biscay, the archipelago is characterized by a cold borderline humid continental/subarctic climate, under the influence of polar air masses and the cold Labrador Current.<ref name="ann-2010-1"/> The mild winters for being a subarctic climate also means it has influences of subpolar oceanic climate, thus being at the confluence of three climatic types. The February mean is just below the Template:Convert isotherm for that classification.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Due to just three months being above 10 °C (50 °F) in mean temperatures and winter lows being so mild, Saint Pierre and Miquelon has a Köppen Climate Classification of Dfc, if bordering on Cfc due to the mildness of the winter and either Dfb or Cfb due to the closeness of the fourth-and fifth-warmest months to having mean temperatures at or above 10 °C (50 °F).

Typical maritime seasonal lag is also strong with September being warmer than June and March being colder than December. The average temperature is Template:Cvt, with a temperature range of 19 °C (35 °F) between the warmest (Template:Cvt in August) and coldest months (Template:Cvt in February).<ref name="ann-2010-1"/> Precipitation is abundant (Template:Cvt per year) and regular (146 days per year), falling as snow and rain.<ref name="ann-2010-1"/> Because of its location at the confluence of the cold waters of the Labrador Current and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, the archipelago is also crossed a hundred days a year by fog banks, mainly in June and July.<ref name="ann-2010-1"/>

Two other climatic elements are remarkable: the extremely variable winds and haze during the spring to early summer.<ref name="om-pres">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Economy

File:Saint-Pierre harbor.jpg

Fishing boats in Saint-Pierre harbour

The economy of the islands, due to their location, has been dependent on fishing and servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, due to disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a decline in the number of ships stopping at the islands.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1992 an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of Template:Convert to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25 percent of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France, which benefits the standard of living. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects, and test drilling for oil may pave the way for development of the energy sector.

Agriculture

The climate and the small amount of available land militate against activities such as farming and livestock raising (weather conditions are severe, confining the growing season to a few weeks, and the soil contains significant peat and clay and is largely infertile).<ref name="om-eco">Economie – L'Outre-Mer Template:Webarchive</ref> Since 1992 the economy has been in steep decline, following the depletion of fish stocks due to overfishing, the limitation of fishing areas and the ban imposed on all cod fishing by the Canadian Government.<ref name="bbc-cod">Template:Cite news</ref>

Unemployment

The labour market is characterized by high seasonality, due to climatic hazards. Traditionally, the inhabitants suspended all outdoor activities (construction, agriculture, etc.) between December and April.<ref name="ann-2010-3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1999, the unemployment rate was 12.8%, and a third of the employed worked in the public sector. The employment situation was worsened by the complete cessation of deep-sea fishing, the traditional occupation of the islanders, as the unemployment rate in 1990 was lower at 9.5%.<ref name="1999-insee-731"/> The unemployment for 2010 shows a decrease from 2009, from 7.7% to 7.1%.<ref name="ann-2010-3"/> Exports are very low (5.1% of GDP) while imports are significant (49.1% of GDP).<ref name="pib-v-32">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2023, the unemployment rate in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon was 2.9%.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> About 70% of the islands' supplies are imported from Canada or from other parts of France via Nova Scotia.<ref name="brit-1"/>

Diversification

The rise in unemployment has been countered by state financial aid for the retraining of businesses and individuals. The construction of the airport in 1999 helped sustain activity in the construction industry and public works.<ref name="rece-2006"/> Fish farming, crab fishing and agriculture are being developed to diversify the local economy.<ref name="cia"/> The future of Saint Pierre and Miquelon rests on tourism, fisheries and aquaculture.Template:Citation needed Explorations are under way to exploit deposits of oil and gas.<ref name="rece-2006"/> Tourism benefits from the proximity to similar tourist areas of Canada. Distribution, public service, care, minor wholesale, retail and crafts are notable in the business sector.<ref name="om-eco"/>

Tourism

Tourism is increasingly important and the territory capitalises on its image as "France in North America".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

There are, as of mid-2024, six hotels on Saint-Pierre<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as well as B&Bs and Airbnb rentals on both main islands.

There are, as of mid-2024, 13 restaurants and bistros on Saint-Pierre and one on Île aux Marins, and the islands' tourism bureau promotes their authentic French cuisine as well as other cuisines.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Currency

• Saint Pierre and Miquelon 20 Francs banknote.jpg

  20-CFA-franc banknote

• SPM001.JPG

  A 1948 Aluminum Franc coin

• Stamp-St Pierre 1891 25Fr overprint.jpg

  1891 postage stamp

File:Partial price list Saint Pierre to Île aux Marins ferry.jpg

Price list for a ferry, July 2024. A 3-euro ticket may be paid with 5 CAD, 11–13% higher than at the interbank rate during that month, where 1 euro equaled between 1.47 and 1.50 CAD.

The euro is the official currency in Saint Pierre and Miquelon.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Before 1890, Mexican dubloons and Canadian dollars both circulated on the islands. Starting in 1889, these were supplemented with local franc banknotes from the Banque des Îles Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon until the end of World War One.<ref name=la1ere/>

In 1945 the island started using the CFA franc, which otherwise was used by the French colonies in Africa. CFA banknotes issued by the Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer stamped with the text "Saint Pierre et Miquelon".<ref name=la1ere/>

In 1973, these were replaced with the ("regular") new French franc, which had been in use in Metropolitan France since 1960, equal to 100 pre-1960 French francs.<ref name=la1ere>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Institut d'Émission des Départements d'Outre-Mer (IEDOM), the French public institution responsible for issuing currency in the overseas territories that used the French franc and later the euro on behalf of the Bank of France, has had an agency in Saint Pierre since 1978.<ref name="iedom-sp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=la1ere/>

Most businesses accept Canadian dollars (CAD), at a rate below the interbank exchange rate; prices in euros and change would be given in that currency.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Stamps

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The islands have issued their own stamps from 1885 to the present, except for a period between 1 April 1978 and 3 February 1986 when French stamps not specific to Saint Pierre and Miquelon were used.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Demographics

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:Historical populations The total population of the islands at the March 2022 census was 5,819,<ref name=population /> of which 5,223 lived in Saint-Pierre and 596 in Miquelon-Langlade.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the time of the 1999 census, 76% of the population was born on the archipelago, while 16.1% were born in metropolitan France, a sharp increase from the 10.2% in 1990. In the same census, less than 1% of the population reported being a foreign national.<ref name="1999-insee-731"/>

The archipelago has a high emigration rate, especially among young adults, who often leave for their studies without returning afterwards.<ref name="1999-insee-731">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Even at the time of the great prosperity of the cod fishery, the population growth had always been constrained by the geographic remoteness, harsh climate and infertile soils.<ref name="1999-insee-731"/>

Ethnography

Ruins show that Indigenous American people visited the archipelago on fishing and hunting expeditions before it was colonized by Europeans.<ref name="om-pres"/> The current population is the result of inflows of settlers from the French ports, mostly Normans, Basques, Bretons and Saintongeais, and also from the historic area of Acadia in Canada (Gaspé Peninsula, parts of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton) as well as Francophones who settled on the Port au Port Peninsula on Newfoundland.<ref name="om-pres"/>

Languages

Template:Main articles The inhabitants speak French; their customs and traditions are similar to the ones found in metropolitan France.<ref name="brit-1" /> The French spoken on the archipelago is closer to Metropolitan French than to Canadian French and maintains a number of unique features.<ref name="frpm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Basque, formerly spoken in private settings by people of Basque ancestry, had disappeared from the islands by the late 1950s.<ref name="bq-l">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Religion

The population is overwhelmingly Christian,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> with the majority being Catholic.<ref name="brit-1"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Vicariate Apostolic of Iles Saint-Pierre and Miquelon managed the local church until it was merged into the Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes in 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Notable people

File:Henry Hughes Hough in 1916.jpg

Henry Hughes Hough, 1916

• Henry Hughes Hough (1871–1943), a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy and one-time military Governor of the United States Virgin Islands.
• George Alain Frecker (1905–1979), politician and academic administrator.
• Paula Nenette Pepin (1908–1990), composer, pianist and lyricist.
• Victor Reux (1929–2016), a politician and teacher.
• Eugène Nicole (born 1942), writer and academic; specialist in Marcel Proust.
• Stéphane Lenormand (born 1964), politician
• Catherine Hélène, politician
• Catherine Pen (born 1954), politician
• Françoise Enguehard (born 1957), an author who now resides in Canada.
• Alexandra Hernandez (born 1981), a singer-songwriter and poet
• Julien Kang (born 1982), lived there until he was five, a television actor and model in Korea

Sportspeople

• Patrick Foliot (born 1954), a former ice hockey goaltender.
• Denis Kang (born 1977), a retired mixed martial artist
• Nicolas Arrossamena (born 1990), an ice hockey forward
• Valentin Claireaux (born 1991), ice hockey player

Culture

File:Basque centre in Saint-Pierre.jpg

Basque centre in Saint-Pierre

Every summer there is a Basque Festival, which has demonstrations of harri-jasotzaileak (stone heaving), aizkolaritza (lumberjack skills), and Basque pelota (more widely known in the Americas as frontón/jai alai).<ref name="zazpiak_bat">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The local cuisine is mostly based on seafood such as lobster, snow crab, mussels, and especially cod.<ref name="adom">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Street names are not commonly used on the islands. Directions and locations are commonly given using nicknames and the names of nearby residents.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The only time the guillotine was used in North America was on Saint-Pierre in the late 19th century.<ref name=":0" /> Joseph Néel was convicted of killing Mr Coupard on Île aux Chiens on 30 December 1888, and subsequently executed by guillotine on 24 August 1889. The device had to be shipped from the French territory of Martinique and it did not arrive in working order. It was very difficult to get anyone to perform the execution; finally a recent immigrant was coaxed into doing the job. This event was the inspiration for the 2000 film The Widow of Saint-Pierre. The guillotine is now in a museum in Saint-Pierre.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

Sports

File:Frontón in Saint-Pierre.jpg

Frontón in Saint-Pierre

Ice hockey is very popular in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, with local teams often competing in Newfoundland-based leagues. Several players from the islands have played on French and Canadian club teams, and participated on the France men's national ice hockey team.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2008, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon played an exhibition match against the French national team and lost 6–8. The territory has not fielded a national side since then.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="x891">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Saint Pierre and Miquelon has a domestic football league comprising three teams. Starting in 2018, local clubs have competed in France's domestic knockout cup, the Coupe de France. The territory also has a national team, but it is presently not a member of FIFA or CONCACAF.<ref name="Soccer 2020">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Transportation

File:SPM Ferries' Nordet, serving the Fortune–Saint-Pierre route, in port at Saint-Pierre.jpg

SPM Ferries' Nordet, serving the Fortune–Saint-Pierre route, in port at Saint-Pierre

File:Air Saint-Pierre aircraft taking off from Miquelon Airport.jpg

Air Saint-Pierre aircraft taking off from Miquelon Airport

File:North American-style license plate in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.jpg

North American-sized license plate in Saint-Pierre. European-sized plates are also issued to suit cars brought over from Europe.

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon has Template:Cvt of highways plus Template:Cvt of unpaved roads. Its only major harbour is at Saint-Pierre although there is a smaller harbour at Miquelon. The collectivity has no merchant marine but has two airports; the runway at Saint-Pierre Airport is Template:Convert long, and at Miquelon Airport, Template:Convert. Ferry services connect the islands with each other and with Fortune, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada, 45 km away. Crossings take 90 minutes. Saint Pierre and Miquelon no longer has any functioning railways.<ref name="1ere">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:In lang</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Ferries

Ferry terminal	Ferry terminal	Ferry company	Summer frequency (2024)
Fortune	Saint-Pierre	SPM Ferries	Service 1–2 times per day; no service on Mondays.<ref name=spmf/>
Miquelon town, Miquelon-Langlade island	Saint-Pierre	SPM Ferries	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Langlade, Miquelon-Langlade island	Saint-Pierre	SPM Ferries	Service 1–2 times per day; no service on Tuesdays.<ref name=spmf/>
Île aux Marins	Saint-Pierre	BPE	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Ferry services operated by SPM Ferries<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> connect Saint Pierre with Miquelon town and Langlade, and both Saint Pierre and Miquelon towns with the port of Fortune in Newfoundland, Canada. In the summer, additional services operate between St Pierre and Langlade and between Miquelon and Fortune.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> SPM Ferries's Nordet and Suroît ferries can transport up to 188 passengers and 18 vehicles each.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Jeune France is a smaller ferry serving seasonal local service between St. Pierre and Langlade. The ship arrived in 2012 replacing Saint-George XII, and currently is used for tours.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Several cruise ship lines visit Saint-Pierre.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They dock 2 km northeast of downtown, near the end of the coastal road. Boats also provide access to Ile aux Marins.

In the past from 2005 to 2009, Atlantic Jet provided a ferry service to the islands from Canada,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> operated privately by SPM Express SA. It was replaced by the Arethusa, but the service was terminated in 2010 when the island opted to form a government-run ferry service. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, services to Fortune were suspended between March 2020<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and August 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Air transport

There are two airports on the islands: Saint-Pierre Pointe-Blanche Airport Template:Airport codes and Miquelon Airport Template:Airport codes.

Air transport is provided by Air Saint-Pierre which directly connects Saint-Pierre Pointe-Blanche Airport with:

• Miquelon Airport, one of the shortest scheduled airline routes in the world in terms of distance and flight duration
• Montreal–Trudeau (YUL) in Quebec, Halifax (YHZ) in Nova Scotia, and Saint John's (YYT) in Newfoundland, Canada
• Îles-de-la-Madeleine Airport (YGR), Quebec, seasonally
• Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in mainland France; Air Saint-PIerre contracts with ASL Airlines France to operate that flight

Connections with mainland France

For many years there was no direct air link between Saint Pierre and mainland France, but in Summer 2018, Air Saint-Pierre began direct flights to and from Paris during the summer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other than that option, travel to France requires a transfer, most commonly at Montreal–Trudeau, which has service:

• with Air Canada to Paris–CDG, Lyon, Marseille, and Nice;
• with Air France to Paris–CDG;
• with Air Transat to Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, and Paris–CDG; and
• with Corsair International to Paris-Orly.

Car transport

In the past, Saint Pierre and Miquelon used only standard French vehicle registration plates, rather than plates in the format of Template:Convert high by Template:Convert wide used by most other jurisdictions in North America. More recently however, American vehicles with North American plates are becoming more common, particularly since the new car ferry service to Canada began in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The islands do not follow the standard French numbering system. Until 1952, cars were simply numbered from 1 onwards, without any code to identify them as being from Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Beginning in 1952, they had serial numbers followed by the letters SPM, e.g. 9287 SPM. Since 2000, all numbers have begun with the letters SPM followed by a serial number and serial letter, e.g. SPM 1 A.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Road signs are in French and are European influenced.

Communications

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon have four radio stations; all stations operate on the FM band, with the last stations converted from the AM band in 2004. Three of the stations are on Saint-Pierre, two of which are owned by La Première, along with one La Première station on Miquelon. At night, these stations broadcast France Inter or France Info. The other station (Radio Atlantique) is an affiliate of Radio France Internationale. The nation is linked to North America and Europe by satellite communications for telephone and television service.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

The archipelago is also home to the Saint Pierre et Miquelon Galileo Sensor Station (GSS), operated by the European Union and its space programme agency (EUSPA) for the European satellite positioning systems Galileo and EGNOS. It is the only Galileo installation in North America. On the other hand, another EGNOS station is located in Moncton, Canada, but is due to be replaced in time by the facilities in Saint Pierre et Miquelon.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":02">Template:Cite journal</ref>

The department of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is served by three television stations: Saint Pierre and Miquelon La Première (call sign FQN) on Channel 1, with a repeater on Channel 31, and France Ô on Channel 6. Before the conversion to the DVB-T standard for digital television broadcasts on 29 November 2011, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon used the French analog SECAM-K1 standard, and the local telecommunications provider (SPM Telecom carried many North American television stations and cable channels, converted from North America's analog NTSC standard. In addition, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon La Première was carried on Shaw Direct satellite and most digital cable services in Canada, converted to NTSC.Template:Cn

SPM Telecom is also the department's main internet service provider, with its internet service being named Cheznoo (a play on Chez-Nous, French for "Our Place"). SPM Telecom also offers cellular phone and mobile phone service (for phones that adhere to the GSM standard). SPM Telecom uses the GSM 900 MHz band,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which is different from the GSM 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands used in the rest of North America.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The islands are a well-known separate country-level entity among many radio amateurs, identifiable with ITU prefix "FP". Those visiting, mainly from the US, activate Saint-Pierre and Miquelon every year on amateur frequencies. Amateurs collect (records of) contacts with these stations for Islands on the Air and DX Century Club awards; the Atlantic coast gives great takeoff for shortwaves.Template:Cn A few kilometres away is Signal Hill, St. John's which first communicated across the Atlantic, namely with Marconi's Poldhu Wireless Station in England.<ref name="Patil 2021 p. 41">Template:Cite book</ref>

News

SPM Telecom publishes local news online at the Cheznoo web portal.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Other publications include the magazine "Mathurin".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Saint Pierre and Miquelon La Première television channel provides a news program every evening at 8pm, called "Le Journal".

Education

File:Collège Saint-Christophe, Saint-Pierre.jpg

Collège Saint-Christophe, Saint-Pierre

The archipelago has four primary schools (Sainte Odile, Henriette Bonin, Feu Rouge, les Quatre-Temps), one middle school (Collège Saint-Christophe) with an annex in Miquelon, one state (government) high school (Lycée-Collège d'État Émile Letournel) and one vocational high school.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The students who wish to further their studies after high school are granted access to scholarships to study overseas. Most students go to metropolitan France, although some go to Canada, mainly New Brunswick or Quebec.<ref name="profil-pm"/>

Saint-Pierre has had a branch of Memorial University of Newfoundland, the Frecker Institute, since 1973.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since 2001, Frecker had been operated by the local government in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, with support of the federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Today, the Frecker Institute has been replaced by the Frecker Program, still run by Memorial University, but within the building of the Institut de langue française Francoforum, which is now the only French-language institute offering university-level teaching on the island.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Health

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon's health care system is entirely public and free.<ref name="profil-pm"/> In 1994, France and Canada signed an agreement allowing the residents of the archipelago to be treated in St. John's.<ref name="profil-pm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2015, St. Pierre and Miquelon indicated that they would start looking for a new healthcare provider as recent rate increases by Eastern Health in Newfoundland were too expensive (increasing to $3.3 million in 2014 from $2.5 million in 2010). Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick were mooted as possible locations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since 1985, Hôpital François Dunan provides basic care and emergency care for residents of both islands.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The island's first hospital was military in 1904 and became a civilian facility in 1905. L'Hôpital-Hospice-Orphelinat opened in 1937.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Advance paediatric health needs are serviced through Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. John’s.

Fire services

Fire stations:

• Both airports, St Pierre and Miquelon, separately.
• Service incendie Ville de St Pierre – Caserne Renaissance has five apparatuses: 2 pumpers, aerial ladders and a hazmat. This replaced Caserne Daguerre.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Service incendie Miquelon has four apparatuses:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> aerial, hazmat, two pumpers.

Most are second-hand units from North America but<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> St Pierre acquired an aerial ladder from France in 2016.Template:Citation needed

See also

• Index of Saint Pierre and Miquelon–related articles
• Outline of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
• Economy of France

• List of French regions and overseas collectivities by GDP

Further reading

• {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}

• Template:Cite EB1922
• Template:Cite journal

External links

• Government of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon Template:In lang
• SPM ferries
• SPM Express SA

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