Lying on Cape Breton and the Pertuis de Miqueton east west, there are 42 l. [leagues] ... Lying the Dove of S. Pierre the pertuis de Micquellon north-northeast & south-southeast: there are 7 l.[10][a]
It has been claimed that the nameMiquelon is aBasque form of Michael;Mikel andMikels are usually namedMikelon in theBasque Country. Therefore, fromMikelon, it may have been written in the French way with aqu instead of ak.[11][12][13]
TheBasque Country is divided betweenSpain andFrance, and most Basques live south ofthe border. As such, Miquelon may have been influenced by the Spanish nameMiguelón, an augmentative form of Miguel meaning "big Michael". The adjoined island's name of "Langlade" is said to be an adaptation ofl'île à l'Anglais (Englishman's Island).[13]
Archaeological evidence indicates that Indigenous peoples, such as theBeothuk, visited St Pierre and Miquelon. However, it is not thought that they settled on the islands permanently.[citation needed] On 21 October 1520, the Portuguese explorerJoão Álvares Fagundes landed on the islands and named the St. Pierre island group the 'Eleven Thousand Virgins' (Portuguese:ilhas das Onze Mil Virgens), as the day marked the feast day ofSt. Ursula and her virgin companions.[14] In 1536Jacques Cartier claimed the islands as a French possession on behalf of the King of France,Francis I.[15] Though already frequented byMi'kmaq people[16] and by Basque and Breton fishermen,[15] the islands were not permanently settled until the end of the 17th century: four permanent inhabitants were counted in 1670, and 22 in 1691.[15]
In 1670, duringJean Talon's second tenure asIntendant 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. DuringKing William's War andQueen 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.[16] In the 1713Treaty of Utrecht, which ended theWar of the Spanish Succession, France ceded the islands toBritain.[16] The British renamed the island of Saint-Pierre to Saint Peter, and small numbers of colonists fromGreat Britain andBritain's American colonies began to settle on the islands.[17][18]
Under the terms of the1763 Treaty of Paris, which put an end to theSeven Years' War, France ceded all itsNorth American possessions to Britain, though the British grantedfishing rights to French fishermen along the Newfoundland coast, and as part of that arrangement returned Saint-Pierre and Miquelon to France's control.[19][20] After Franceentered theAmerican Revolutionary War on the side of theUnited 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.[21] In 1793, during theFrench 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.[16]
The nascent British colony was in turn attacked by theFrench Navy in 1796. TheTreaty of Amiens of 1802 brought the islands back under French control, only for that to reverse when the conflict revived the following year.[16] This flipped again with theTreaty of Paris in 1814, and again during theHundred Days in 1815. When the French returned to these repeatedly-sacked islands, all of the homes, businesses and farmsteads and outbuildings had been destroyed or fallen into ruin.[16] The islands were resettled in 1816 by Basques, Bretons andNormans, joined by various other peoples, particularly from the nearby island of Newfoundland.[15] The colony's economy did not recover for another 35 years.[16]
In 1903, the colony toyed with the idea of joining the United States; however, nothing came of the idea.[22] During the early 1910s, the colony suffered severely as a result of unprofitable fisheries, and large numbers of its people emigrated toNova Scotia andQuebec.[23] The draft imposed on all male inhabitants of conscript age after the beginning ofWorld War I in 1914 crippled the fisheries, as their catch could not be processed by the older men or the women and children.[23] About 400 men from the colony served in theFrench military during World War I (1914–1918), 25% of whom died.[24] The increase in the adoption of steamtrawlers in the fisheries also contributed to the reduction in employment opportunities.[23]
Smuggling had always been an important economic activity in the islands; however, it became especially prominent in the 1920s with the institution ofProhibition in the United States from January 1920.[24] In 1931, the archipelago was reported byThe New York Times to have imported 1,815,271 U.S. gallons (1,511,529imperial gallons; 6,871,550liters) of whisky from Canada in 12 months, most of it to be smuggled into the United States.[25][26] The end of Prohibition in 1933 plunged the islands once more into economic depression.[27]
Since March 2003, Saint Pierre and Miquelon has been an overseas collectivity with a special status.[5] The archipelago has twocommunes:Saint-Pierre andMiquelon-Langlade.[34] A third commune,Isle-aux-Marins, existed until 1945, when it was absorbed by the municipality of Saint-Pierre.[15] The inhabitants possessFrench citizenship and suffrage.[35] Saint Pierre and Miquelon sends a senator and adeputy to theNational Assembly of France in Paris and enjoys a degree of autonomy concerning taxes, customs, and excise.[21][5]
France appoints theprefect of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, who represents the national government in the territory.[27] The prefect is in charge of national interests, law enforcement, public order, and, under the conditions set by the statute of 1985, administrative control.[36] Since 21 August 2023, the prefect has been Bruno André.[37]
The local legislative body, theTerritorial Council (French:Conseil territorial), has 19 members: four councillors from Miquelon-Langlade and 15 from Saint-Pierre.[34][5] 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 ofNAFO andICCAT.[34]
France claimed a 200-nautical-mile (370 km; 230 mi)exclusive economic zone for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Further, in August 1983, the naval shipLieutenant de vaisseau Le Hénaff and the seismic shipLucien Beaufort were sent to explore for oil in the disputed zone.[40] In addition to the potential oil reserves,cod fishing rights on theGrand 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.[40] In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 square kilometres (4,768 sq mi) to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought.[5]
The 1992 decision fixed the maritime boundaries between Canada and the islands, but did not demarcate thecontinental shelf.[41]
Located off the western end of the Newfoundland'sBurin Peninsula, the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon comprises eight islands, totalling 242 square kilometres (93 sq mi), of which only two are inhabited.[5][42] The islands are bare and rocky, with steep coasts, and only a thin layer ofpeat to soften the hard landscape.[43] The islands, like Newfoundland, are geologically part of the northeastern end of theAppalachian Mountains.[5]
Miquelon-Langlade, the largest island, is in fact composed of two islands;Miquelon Island (also calledGrande Miquelon, 110 km2 or 42 sq mi) is connected to Langlade Island (Petite Miquelon, 91 km2 or 35 sq mi) by theDune de Langlade (also known as theIsthme de Langlade), a 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) long sandytombolo.[33][6] A storm severed them in the 18th century, separating the two islands for several decades, before currents reconstructed the isthmus.[15]Morne de la Grande Montagne, the tallest point in the territory at 240 meters high, is located on Grande Miquelon.[5] The waters between Langlade and Saint-Pierre were called "the Mouth of Hell" (French:Gueule d'Enfer) until about 1900, as more than 600 shipwrecks have been recorded in that point since 1800.[44] In the north of Miquelon Island is the village ofMiquelon-Langlade (710 inhabitants), while Langlade Island is almost deserted (only one inhabitant in the 1999 census).[15]
Saint Pierre Island, whose area is smaller, 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi), 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.[33]
A third, formerly inhabited island,Isle-aux-Marins, was known asÎle-aux-Chiens until 1931. It is located a short distance from the port of Saint-Pierre, and has been uninhabited since 1963.[15] The other main islands areGrand Colombier,Île aux Vainqueurs, andÎle aux Pigeons.
Vertically exaggerated model of the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Seabirds are the most common fauna.[35]Seals and other wildlife can be found in the Grand Barachois Lagoon of Miquelon. Every spring, whales migrating toGreenland 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.[45] The rocky islands are barren, except for scrubbyyews andjunipers and thin volcanic soil.[44] The forest cover of the hills, except in parts of Langlade, had been removed for fuel long ago.[35]
In spite of being located at a similar latitude to theBay of Biscay, the archipelago is characterized by a cold borderlinehumid continental/subarctic climate, under the influence of polar air masses and the coldLabrador Current.[42] The mild winters for being a subarctic climate also means it has influences ofsubpolar oceanic climate, thus being at the confluence of three climatic types. The February mean is just below the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm for that classification.[46] 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 aKöppen Climate Classification ofDfc, if bordering onCfc due to the mildness of the winter and eitherDfb orCfb due to the closeness of the fourth-and fifth-warmest months to having mean temperatures at or above 10 °C (50 °F).
Typical maritimeseasonal lag is also strong with September being warmer than June and March being colder than December. The average temperature is 5.3 °C (41.5 °F), with a temperature range of 19 °C (35 °F) between the warmest (15.7 °C (60.3 °F) in August) and coldest months (−3.6 °C (25.5 °F) in February).[42]Precipitation is abundant (1,312 mm or 51.7 in per year) and regular (146 days per year), falling as snow and rain.[42] Because of its location at the confluence of the cold waters of the Labrador Current and the warm waters of theGulf Stream, the archipelago is also crossed a hundred days a year by fog banks, mainly in June and July.[42]
Two other climatic elements are remarkable: the extremely variable winds and haze during the spring to early summer.[47]
Comparison of local Meteorological data with other cities in France[48]
All values, unless otherwise stated, are inUS dollars.
The economy of the islands, due to their location, has been dependent on fishing and servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast ofNewfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, due to disputes withCanada over fishing quotas and a decline in the number ofships stopping at the islands.[53] In 1992 an arbitration panel awarded the islands anexclusive economic zone of 12,348 square kilometres (4,768 sq mi) to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25 percent of whatFrance had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France, which benefits the standard of living. The government hopes an expansion oftourism will boost economic prospects, and test drilling for oil may pave the way for development of the energy sector.
The climate and the small amount of available land militate against activities such as farming and livestock raising (weather conditions are severe, confining thegrowing season to a few weeks, and the soil contains significantpeat andclay and is largely infertile).[54] Since 1992 the economy has been in steep decline, following the depletion of fish stocks due tooverfishing, the limitation of fishing areas and the ban imposed on all cod fishing by the Canadian Government.[55]
The labour market is characterized by highseasonality, due to climatic hazards. Traditionally, the inhabitants suspended all outdoor activities (construction, agriculture, etc.)between December and April.[56] 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%.[15] The unemployment for 2010 shows a decrease from 2009, from 7.7% to 7.1%.[56] Exports are very low (5.1% of GDP) while imports are significant (49.1% of GDP).[57] In 2023, the unemployment rate in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon was 2.9%.[58] About 70% of the islands' supplies are imported from Canada or from other parts of France viaNova Scotia.[35]
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.[33] Fish farming, crab fishing and agriculture are being developed to diversify the local economy.[5] The future of Saint Pierre and Miquelon rests on tourism, fisheries andaquaculture.[citation needed] Explorations are under way to exploit deposits of oil and gas.[33] Tourism benefits from the proximity to similar tourist areas of Canada. Distribution, public service, care, minor wholesale, retail and crafts are notable in thebusiness sector.[54]
Tourism is increasingly important and the territory capitalises on its image as "France in North America".[59]
There are, as of mid-2024, six hotels on Saint-Pierre[60] as well as B&Bs andAirbnb rentals on both main islands.
As of mid-2024, there are 13 restaurants and bistros on Saint-Pierre and one onÎle aux Marins; further, the islands' tourism bureau promotes their authentic French cuisine as well as other cuisines.[61]
Price list for a ferry, July 2024. A 3-euro ticket may be paid with 5 CAD, 11–13% higher than at theinterbank rate during that month, where 1 euro equaled between 1.47 and 1.50 CAD.
Theeuro is the official currency in Saint Pierre and Miquelon.[62]
In 1945 the island started using theCFA franc, which otherwise was used by the French colonies in Africa. CFA banknotes issued by theCaisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer stamped with the text "Saint Pierre et Miquelon".[63]
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.[63] TheInstitut 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 theBank of France, has had an agency in Saint Pierre since 1978.[64][63]
Most businesses acceptCanadian dollars (CAD), at a rate below the interbank exchange rate; prices in euros and change would be given in that currency.[65][66]
The islands have issuedtheir 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.[67]
The total population of the islands at the March 2022 census was 5,819,[2] of which 5,223 lived inSaint-Pierre and 596 inMiquelon-Langlade.[71] 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.[15]
The archipelago has a high emigration rate, especially among young adults, who often leave for their studies without returning afterwards.[15] 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.[15]
Every summer there is a Basque Festival, which has demonstrations ofharri-jasotzaileak (stone heaving),aizkolaritza (lumberjack skills), andBasque pelota (more widely known inthe Americas asfrontón/jai alai).[77] The local cuisine is mostly based on seafood such as lobster, snow crab, mussels, and especially cod.[78]
Street names are not commonly used on the islands. Directions and locations are commonly given using nicknames and the names of nearby residents.[79]
The only time theguillotine was used in North America was on Saint-Pierre in the late 19th century.[80] Joseph Néel was convicted of killing Mr Coupard on Île aux Chiens on 30 December 1888, and subsequently executed byguillotine on 24 August 1889. The device had to be shipped from the French territory ofMartinique 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 filmThe Widow of Saint-Pierre. The guillotine is now in a museum in Saint-Pierre.[80]
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 theFrance men's national ice hockey team.[81] 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.[82][83]
Saint Pierre and Miquelon has a domesticfootball league comprising three teams. Starting in 2018, local clubs have competed in France's domestic knockout cup, theCoupe de France. The territory also has anational team, but it is presently not a member ofFIFA orCONCACAF.[84]
6 daytime crossings daily, in summer half-hourly daytime service[88][89]
Ferry services operated bySPM Ferries[90] connect Saint Pierre with Miquelon town and Langlade, and both Saint Pierre and Miquelon towns with the port ofFortune in Newfoundland, Canada. In the summer, additional services operate between St Pierre and Langlade and between Miquelon and Fortune.[91] SPM Ferries's Nordet and Suroît ferries can transport up to 188 passengers and 18 vehicles each.[92]Jeune France is a smaller ferry serving seasonal local service between St. Pierre and Langlade. The ship arrived in 2012 replacingSaint-George XII, and currently is used for tours.[93]
Several cruise ship lines visit Saint-Pierre.[94] They dock 2 km northeast of downtown, near the end of the coastal road. Boats also provide access to Ile aux Marins.
Between 2005 to 2009,Atlantic Jet provided a ferry service to the islands from Canada,[95] 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 toCOVID-19 restrictions, services to Fortune were suspended between March 2020[96] and August 2021.[97]
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.[98]
Other than that option, travel to France requires a transfer, most commonly at Montreal–Trudeau, which has service:
In the past, Saint Pierre and Miquelon used only standardFrench vehicle registration plates, rather than plates in the format of six inches (150 mm) high by twelve inches (300 mm) wide used by most other jurisdictions in North America. More recently however, American vehicles with North American plates are becoming more common; this has increased since the new car ferry service to Canada began in 2021.[99]
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; for example, 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.[100]
Road signs are in French and are European influenced.
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon have four radio stations; all stations operate on theFM band, with the last stations converted from theAM band in 2004. Three of the stations are on Saint-Pierre, two of which are owned byLa Première, along with one La Première station on Miquelon. At night, these stations broadcastFrance Inter orFrance Info. The other station (Radio Atlantique) is an affiliate ofRadio France Internationale. The archipelago is linked to North America and Europe bysatellite communications for telephone and television service.[101]
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, andFrance Ô on Channel 6. Before the conversion to theDVB-Tstandard for digital television broadcasts on 29 November 2011, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon used the French analogSECAM-K1 standard. Further, the local telecommunications provider (SPM Telecom) carried many North American television stations and cable channels; the channels were converted from North America's analogNTSC standard. In addition, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon La Première was carried onShaw Direct satellite and most digital cable services in Canada, converted to NTSC.[citation needed]
SPM Telecom is also the department's maininternet service provider. Its internet service being namedCheznoo; this is a play on "chez-nous," French for "our place." SPM Telecom also offers cellular phone and mobile phone service (for phones that adhere to theGSM standard). SPM Telecom uses the GSM 900 MHz band,[105] which is different from the GSM 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands used in the rest of North America.[106]
The islands are a well-known separate country-level entity among many radio amateurs; it is 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 forIslands on the Air andDX Century Club awards; the Atlantic coast gives great takeoff for shortwaves.[citation needed] A few kilometres away isSignal Hill, St. John's which first communicated across the Atlantic, namely withMarconi's Poldhu Wireless Station in England.[107]
SPM Telecom publishes local news online at theCheznoo web portal.[108] Other publications include the magazine "Mathurin".[109] TheSaint Pierre and MiquelonLa Première television channel provides a news program every evening at 8pm, called "Le Journal".
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.[110]
Students who wish to further their studies after high school are granted access to scholarships to study overseas. Most students go to metropolitan France; however, some go to Canada, mainlyNew Brunswick orQuebec.[111]
Saint-Pierre has had a branch ofMemorial University of Newfoundland, the Frecker Institute, since 1973.[112] Since 2001, Frecker had been operated by thelocal government in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, with support of thefederal government of Canada and the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador.[113] Today, the Frecker Institute has been replaced by the Frecker Program. It is still run by Memorial University. However, it is held within the building of theInstitut de langue françaiseFrancoforum, which is now the only French-language institute offering university-level teaching on the island.[114]
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon's health care system is entirely public and free.[111] In 1994, France and Canada signed an agreement allowing the residents of the archipelago to be treated inSt. John's.[111] In 2015, St. Pierre and Miquelon indicated that they would start looking for a new healthcare provider as recent rate increases byEastern Health in Newfoundland were too expensive (increasing to $3.3 million in 2014 from $2.5 million in 2010).Halifax, Nova Scotia andMoncton, New Brunswick were mooted as possible locations.[115] Since 1985, Hôpital François Dunan provides basic care and emergency care for residents of both islands.[116] The island's first hospital was military in 1904 and became a civilian facility in 1905. L'Hôpital-Hospice-Orphelinat opened in 1937.[117] Advance paediatric health needs are serviced throughJaneway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. John’s.
Both airports, St Pierre and Miquelon, separately.
Service incendie Ville de St Pierre – Caserne Renaissance has five apparatuses: 2pumpers,aerial ladders and ahazmat. This replaced Caserne Daguerre.[118]
Service incendie Miquelon has four apparatuses:[119] aerial, hazmat, two pumpers.
Most are second-hand units from North America;[120] however, St Pierre acquired an aerial ladder from France in 2016.[citation needed]
^French:"Giſant le cap de Breton & le pertuis de Miqueton est oest, y a 42 l. ... Gisant la Colombe de S. Pierre le pertuis de Micquellon nord noroest & sud suest: y a 7 l."
^"La Gendarmerie Nationale". Portail internet des services de l'Etat. 24 February 2011. Archived fromthe original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved8 February 2013.
^Robert Aldrich, John Connell (1992).France's Overseas Frontier: Départements Et Territoires D'outre-mer. Cambridge University Press. p. 59.ISBN0-521-39061-3.
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