Saint Pierre and Miquelon (territorial collectivity of France)

§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 kmē
  land: 242 kmē
  water: 0 kmē
  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:
  exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 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: 13%
  permanent crops: 0%
  permanent pastures: 0%
  forests and woodland: 4%
  other: 83% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  NA kmē

Natural hazards:
  persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard

Environment - current issues:
  NA

Geography - note:
  vegetation scanty

§3. Saint Pierre and Miquelon People

Population:
  6,928 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 25.85% (male 917; female 874)
  15-64 years: 64.22% (male 2,273; female 2,176)
  65 years and over: 9.93% (male 291; female 397) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.43% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  15.88 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  6.64 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -4.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  8.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 77.77 years male: 75.51 years
  female: 80.13 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  2.12 children born/woman (2001 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

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 approved by the US Government, but there are two
  communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon

Independence:
  none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control
  since 1763)

National holiday:
  Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:
  28 September 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 Remi THUAU (since NA)
  head of government: President of the General Council Bernard LE SOAVEC
    (since NA 1996)
  cabinet: NA
  elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
    election last held 7 May 1995 (next to be held NA May 2002); 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 NA April 2000 (next to be held NA April
    2006)
  election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
  note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate;
    elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September
    2004); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1;
    Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French National
    Assembly; elections last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held NA
    2002); 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:
  Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR [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:
  FZ, 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 a black wave line under the ship; on the hoist side, a vertical band
    is divided into three parts: the top part is red with a green diagonal
    cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the
    square 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 on top of the other; 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 kmē 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.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $74 million (1996 est.); supplemented by annual
  payments from France of about $60 million

GDP - real growth rate:
  NA%

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $11,000 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: NA% industry: NA%
  services: NA%

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)

Labor force:
  3,000 (1997)

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

Unemployment rate:
  9.8% (1997)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  40 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  37.2 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (1999)

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

Exports:
  $12 million (f.o.b., 1999)

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

Exports - partners:
  US 43%, Egypt 14%, Japan 11%, Colombia 8% (1999)

Imports:
  $55 million (f.o.b., 1999)

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

Imports - partners:
  France 44%, Canada 40% (1999)

Debt - external:
  $NA

Economic aid - recipient:
  approximately $65 million in annual grants from France

Currency:
  French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)

Currency code:
  FRF; EUR

Exchange rates:
  euros per US dollar - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863
  (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155
  (1996)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  4,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  0 (1994)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: adequate domestic: NA
  international: 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 Service Providers (ISPs):
  1 (2000)

Internet users:
  NA

§7. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Transportation

Railways:
  0 km

Highways:
  total: 114 km
  paved: 69 km
  unpaved: 45 km (1994 est.)

Waterways:
  none

Ports and harbors:
  Saint Pierre

Merchant marine:
  none (2000 est.)

Airports:
  2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)

§8. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of France

§9. Saint Pierre and Miquelon Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none
