from
CIA World Factbook 2006
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.
Geography
Location: Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic
Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)
Geographic 46 50 N, 56 20 W
coordinates:
Map North America
references:
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 - 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 120 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn
are windy
Terrain: mostly barren rock
Elevation lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m
Natural fish, deepwater ports
resources:
Land use: arable land: 12.5%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 87.5% (2005)
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime
hazards: hazard
Environment - recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint
current Pierre and Miquelon may bring future development that
issues: would impact the environment
Geography - vegetation scanty
note:
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 0.17% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 13.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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 total: 7.38 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 8.46 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 6.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 78.61 years
expectancy at male: 76.27 years
birth: female: 81.06 years (2006 est.)
Total 2.01 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
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
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 self-governing territorial collectivity of France
status:
Government NA
type:
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; note - these new
dates become effective in 2007
Administrative none (territorial collectivity of France); note - there
divisions: 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 Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
holiday:
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 chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France
branch: (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Yves
FAUQUEUR (since 28 August 2006)
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, 21 April 2002
(first round) and 5 May 2002 (second round) (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 unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats
branch: - 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 Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur
branch: d'Appel
Political Left Radical Party or PRG; Rassemblement pour la
parties and Republique or RPR (now UMP); Socialist Party or PS;
leaders: Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International UPU, WFTU
organization
participation:
Diplomatic none (territorial collectivity of France)
representation
in the US:
Diplomatic none (territorial collectivity of France)
representation
from the US:
Flag a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a
description: 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
Economy - The inhabitants have traditionally earned their
overview: 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 $48.3 million
(purchasing note: supplemented by annual payments from France of
power parity): about $60 million (2003 est.)
GDP (official NA
exchange
rate):
GDP - real NA%
growth rate:
GDP - per $7,000 (2001 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: NA%
composition by industry: NA%
sector: services: NA%
Labor force: 3,261 (1999)
Labor force - agriculture: 18%
by occupation: industry: 41%
services: 41% (1996 est.)
Unemployment 10.3% (1999)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 2.1% (1991-96 average)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $70 million
expenditures: $60 million; including capital
expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.)
Agriculture - vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
products:
Industries: fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets;
tourism
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 44.15 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 41.06 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 480 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $7 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks
commodities: and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts
Exports - Spain 33.6%, Belgium 21.8%, India 18.3%, France 9.4%,
partners: US 7.5% (2005)
Imports: $70 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery,
commodities: building materials
Imports - France 51.3%, Canada 31.8%, Belgium 4.1% (2005)
partners:
Debt - $NA
external:
Economic aid - approximately $60 million in annual grants from France
recipient:
Currency euro (EUR)
(code):
Currency code: EUR
Exchange euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
rates: 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 4,800 (2002)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - NA
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: adequate
system: domestic: NA
international: country code - 508; radiotelephone
communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth
station in French domestic satellite system
Radio AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 4,000 (1997)
Television 0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast
broadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997)
stations:
Televisions: 4,000 (1997)
Internet .pm
country code:
Internet 0 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 1 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet NA
users:
Transportation
Airports: 2 (2006)
Airports - total: 2
with paved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Ports and Saint-Pierre
terminals:
Military
Military - defense is the responsibility of France
note:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international: