Saint Pierre and Miquelon (/ˈmɪkəlɒn/),[4] officially the Overseas Collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (French: Collectivité d'outre-mer de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon[sɛ̃pjɛʁemiklɔ̃]ⓘ), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.[5][6] An archipelago of eight islands, St. Pierre and Miquelon is a vestige of the once-vast territory of New France.[5] Its residents are French citizens. The collectivity elects its own deputy to the National Assembly and participates in senatorial and presidential elections. It covers 242 km2 (93 sq mi) of land and had a population of 6,008 as of the March 2016 census[update].[2]
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.[10][a]
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 q instead of a k.[11][12][13]
The Basque Country is divided between Spain and France, and most Basques live south of the border, so Miquelon may have been influenced by the Spanish name Miguelón, an augmentative form of Miguel meaning "big Michael". The adjoined island's name of "Langlade" is said to be an adaptation of l'île à l'Anglais (Englishman's Island).[13]
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.[citation needed] 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' (Portuguese: ilhas das Onze Mil Virgens), as the day marked the feast day of St. Ursula and her virgin companions.[14] In 1536 Jacques Cartier claimed the islands as a French possession on behalf of the King of France, Francis I.[15] Though already frequented by Mi'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, 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.[16] In the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession, France ceded the islands to Britain.[16] 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.[17][18]
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.[19] 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.[20] 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.[16]
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.[16] The 1814 Treaty of Paris gave the islands back to France, though the UK occupied them yet again during the Hundred Days War in 1815. France then reclaimed the now uninhabited islands, in which all structures and buildings had been destroyed or fallen into disrepair.[16] The islands were resettled in 1816. The settlers, mostly Basques, Bretons and Normans, were joined by various other peoples, particularly from the nearby island of Newfoundland.[15] Only around the middle of the century did increased fishing bring a certain prosperity to the little colony.[16]
1900–1945
In 1903, the colony toyed with the idea of joining the United States, but in the end nothing came of the idea.[21] 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.[22] 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.[22] About 400 men from the colony served in the French military during World War I (1914–1918), 25% of whom died.[23] The increase in the adoption of steam trawlers in the fisheries also contributed to the reduction in employment opportunities.[22]
Smuggling had always been an important economic activity in the islands, but it became especially prominent in the 1920s with the institution of Prohibition in the United States from January 1920.[23] In 1931, the archipelago was reported by The New York Times to have imported 1,815,271 U.S. gallons (1,511,529 imperial gallons; 6,871,550 liters) of whisky from Canada in 12 months, most of it to be smuggled into the United States.[24][25] The end of Prohibition in 1933 plunged the islands once more into economic depression.[26]
Since March 2003, Saint Pierre and Miquelon has been an overseas collectivity with a special status.[5] The archipelago has two communes: Saint-Pierre and Miquelon-Langlade.[33] A third commune, Isle-aux-Marins, existed until 1945, when it was absorbed by the municipality of Saint-Pierre.[15] The inhabitants possess French citizenship and suffrage.[34] 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.[20][5]
France appoints the prefect of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, who represents the national government in the territory.[26] The prefect is in charge of national interests, law enforcement, public order, and, under the conditions set by the statute of 1985, administrative control.[35] Since 21 August 2023, the prefect has been Bruno André.[36]
The local legislative body, the Territorial Council (French: Conseil territorial), has 19 members: four councillors from Miquelon-Langlade and 15 from Saint-Pierre.[33][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 of NAFO and ICCAT.[33]
On 10 January 2022, Saint Pierre and Miquelon made international news when MPStéphane Claireaux, a member of the governing La République en Marche (LREM) was pelted with seaweed and stones in response to the government's new COVID-19 rules. The rule was announced by the state representative, the prefect, on 2 January for the island and angered residents.[37]
France claimed a 200-nautical-mile (370 km; 230 mi) 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.[40] 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.[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 the continental shelf.[41]
Located off the western end of the Newfoundland's Burin 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 of peat to soften the hard landscape.[43] The islands, like Newfoundland, are geologically part of the northeastern end of the Appalachian Mountains.[5]
Miquelon-Langlade, the largest island, is in fact composed of two islands; Miquelon Island (also called Grande Miquelon, 110 km2 or 42 sq mi) is connected to Langlade Island (Petite Miquelon, 91 km2 or 35 sq mi) by the Dune de Langlade (also known as the Isthme de Langlade), a 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) long sandy tombolo.[32][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 of Miquelon-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.[32]
A third, formerly inhabited island, Isle-aux-Marins, known as Île-aux-Chiens until 1931 and located a short distance from the port of Saint-Pierre, has been uninhabited since 1963.[15] The other main islands are Grand Colombier, Île aux Vainqueurs, and Île aux Pigeons.
3D image of the Saint Pierre and Miquelon archipelago
Seabirds are the most common fauna.[34]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.[45] The rocky islands are barren, except for scrubby yews and junipers and thin volcanic soil.[44] The forest cover of the hills, except in parts of Langlade, had been removed for fuel long ago.[34]
Climate
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.[42] 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 −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 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 5.3 °C (41.5 °F), with a temperature range of 19 °C (66 °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 the Gulf 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 in US dollars.
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 Canadaover fishing quotas and a decline in the number of ships stopping at the islands.[53] 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 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 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).[54] 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.[55]
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.[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] About 70% of the islands' supplies are imported from Canada or from other parts of France via Nova Scotia.[34]
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.[32] 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 and aquaculture.[citation needed] Explorations are under way to exploit deposits of oil and gas.[32] 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.[54]
Tourism
Tourism is increasingly important and the territory capitalises on its image as "France in North America".[58]
There are, as of mid-2024, six hotels on Saint-Pierre[59] 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.[60]
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 currency in Saint Pierre and Miquelon.[61]
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 de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon until the end of World War One.[62]
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'Outremer stamped with the text "Saint Pierre et Miquelon".[62]
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.[62] 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.[63][62]
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.[64][65]
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.[66]
The total population of the islands at the March 2016 census was 6,008,[2] of which 5,412 lived in Saint-Pierre and 596 in Miquelon-Langlade.[69] 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]
The inhabitants speak French; their customs and traditions are similar to the ones found in metropolitan France.[34] The French spoken on the archipelago is closer to Metropolitan French than to Canadian French and maintains a number of unique features.[70]Basque, formerly spoken in private settings by people of Basque ancestry, had disappeared from the islands by the late 1950s.[71]
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).[74] The local cuisine is mostly based on seafood such as lobster, snow crab, mussels, and especially cod.[75]
Street names are not commonly used on the islands. Directions and locations are commonly given using nicknames and the names of nearby residents.[76]
The only time the guillotine was used in North America was on Saint-Pierre in the late 19th century.[77] 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.[77]
Sports
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.[78] In 2008, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon played an exhibition match against the French national team,[79] though the territory has not fielded a national side since then.
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.[80]
Transportation
SPM Ferries' Nordet, serving the Fortune–Saint-Pierre route, in port at Saint-PierreAir Saint-Pierre aircraft taking off from Miquelon AirportNorth American-style license plate in Saint-Pierre. European-style plates are also issued to suit cars brought over from Europe.
6 daytime crossings daily, in summer half-hourly daytime service[84][85]
Ferry services operated by SPM Ferries[86] 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.[87] SPM Ferries's Nordet and Suroît ferries can transport up to 188 passengers and 18 vehicles each.[88]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.[89]
Several cruise ship lines visit Saint-Pierre.[90] 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,[91] 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[92] and August 2021.[93]
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.[94]
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 standard French 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, particularly since the new car ferry service to Canada began in 2021.[95]
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.[96]
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 Outre-Mer 1ère, along with one 1ère station on Miquelon. At night, these stations broadcast France-Inter. 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.[97]
The department of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is served by three television stations: Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon 1ère (call sign FQN) on Channel 8, with a repeater on Channel 31, and France Ô on Channel 6. Before the conversion to the DVB-Tstandard 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 1ère was carried on Shaw Direct satellite and most digital cable services in Canada, converted to NTSC.[citation needed]
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,[98] which is different from the GSM 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands used in the rest of North America.[99]
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.[citation needed] 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.[100]
News
SPM Telecom publishes local news online at the Cheznoo web portal.[101] Other publications include the magazine "Mathurin".[102]
Education
Collège Saint-Christophe, Saint-Pierre
The archipelago has four primary schools (Sainte Odile, Henriette Bonin, Feu Rouge, les Quatre-Temps), one middle school (Collège de Miquelon/Collège Saint-Christophe) with an annex in Miquelon, one state (government) high school (Lycée-Collège d'État Émile Letournel) and one vocational high school.[103]
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.[104]
Saint Pierre's institute for higher learning is the Institut Frecker, which is associated with Memorial University of Newfoundland.[105] Since 2000 Frecker had been operated by the Government of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, with support of the federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador.[106]
Health
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon's health care system is entirely public and free.[104] In 1994, France and Canada signed an agreement allowing the residents of the archipelago to be treated in St. John's.[104] 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.[107] Since 1985, Hôpital François Dunan provides basic care and emergency care for residents of both islands.[108] The island's first hospital was military in 1904 and became a civilian facility in 1905. L'Hôpital-Hospice-Orphelinat opened in 1937.[109]
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.[110]
Service incendie Miquelon has four apparatuses:[111] aerial, hazmat, two pumpers.
Most are second-hand units from North America but[112] St Pierre acquired an aerial ladder from France in 2016.[citation needed]
^transl. 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 north-northeast & south-southeast: there are 7 l.
^"La Gendarmerie Nationale". Portail internet des services de l'Etat. 24 February 2011. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 8 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.
