Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Introduction
Background
First settled by the French in the early 17th century, Saint Pierre and Miquelon are the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. They attained the status of an overseas collectivity in 2003.
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 sq km
land
242 sq km
water
0 sq km
Area - comparative
1.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.
Land boundaries
total
0 km
Coastline
120 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Climate
cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy
Terrain
mostly barren rock
Elevation
highest point
Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m
lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Natural resources
fish, deepwater ports
Land use
agricultural land
8.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 8.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)
forest
5% (2023 est.)
other
86.3% (2023 est.)
Irrigated land
0 sq km (2022)
Population distribution
most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island
Natural hazards
persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard
Geography - note
vegetation scanty; the islands are part of the northern Appalachians, along with Newfoundland
People and Society
Population
total
5,070 (2025 est.)
male
2,442
female
2,628
Nationality
noun
Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective
French
Ethnic groups
Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)
Languages
Languages
French (official)
major-language sample(s)
<br>The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
Age structure
0-14 years
13.1% (male 346/female 328)
15-64 years
61.6% (male 1,559/female 1,600)
65 years and over
25.3% (2024 est.) (male 571/female 728)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
63.3 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
21 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
42.3 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
2.4 (2025 est.)
Median age
total
51.8 years (2025 est.)
male
50.5 years
female
51.9 years
Population growth rate
-1.24% (2025 est.)
Birth rate
6.31 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate
-6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population distribution
most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island
Urbanization
urban population
90.1% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
6,000 SAINT-PIERRE (capital) (2018)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.78 male(s)/female
total population
0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male
9.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female
5.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
total population
81.8 years (2024 est.)
male
79.5 years
female
84.3 years
Total fertility rate
1.6 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.79 (2025 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: total
total: 99.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
65.2% (2020 est.)
Environment
Environmental issues
overfishing
Climate
cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy
Land use
agricultural land
8.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 8.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)
forest
5% (2023 est.)
other
86.3% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
90.1% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
total emissions
57,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids
57,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Government
Country name
conventional long form
Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
conventional short form
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
local long form
Département de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
local short form
Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
etymology
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is reputed to be named after two navigators, one called Peter and one called Michael (in a nickname form) or Mikelon, a Basque name
Government type
parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France
Dependency status
overseas collectivity of France
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
etymology
may be named after Saint Peter, the patron saint of fisherman; alternatively, the name may come from one of the two navigators for whom the island as a whole is named
Administrative divisions
no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but 2 communes are considered second-order: Saint Pierre, Miquelon
Legal system
French civil law
Constitution
history
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
amendment process
amendment procedures of France's constitution apply
Citizenship
see France
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Prefect Bruno ANDRE (since September 2023)
head of government
President of Territorial Council Marc DIDIO (since 12 January 2026)
cabinet
Le Cabinet du Préfet
election/appointment process
French president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prefect appointed by French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; Territorial Council president elected by Territorial Council councilors by absolute majority vote; term NA
most recent election date
13 October 2020
election results
<br><em>2020: </em>Bernard BRIAND elected President of Territorial Council; Territorial Council vote - 17 for, 2 abstentions<br><br><em>2017:</em> Stephane LENORMAND elected President of Territorial Council vote - NA
Legislative branch
legislature name
Territorial Council (Conseil Territorial)
legislative structure
unicameral
number of seats
19 (directly elected)
electoral system
plurality/majority
scope of elections
full renewal
term in office
6 years
most recent election date
3/27/2022
parties elected and seats per party
AD (15); Focus on the Future (4)
expected date of next election
March 2028
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Supérieur d'Appel (composition NA)
judge selection and term of office
judge selection and tenure NA
Political parties
Archipelago Tomorrow (Archipel Domain) or AD (affiliated with The Republicans)<br>Focus on the Future (Cap sur l'Avenir) (affiliated with Left Radical Party)<br>Together to Build (Ensemble pour Construire)
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (overseas territory of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US
embassy
none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)
International organization participation
UPU, WFTU (NGOs)
Independence
none (overseas collectivity collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)
National holiday
Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)
Flag
<strong>description:</strong> a yellow three-masted sailing ship facing the left side rides on a blue background with wavy white lines; a black-over-white wavy line divides the ship from the white wavy lines; on the left side, a vertical band is divided into three heraldic arms: the top (called <em>ikkurina</em>) is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners and overlaid with a white cross, the middle is white with an ermine pattern, and the bottom is red with two yellow lions outlined in black<br><br><strong>meaning: </strong>the arms represent settlers from the Basque Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy in France; blue symbolizes the Atlantic Ocean, and the ship represents explorer Jacques Cartier's ship when he visited the islands in 1536
National symbol(s)
16th-century sailing ship
National anthem(s)
title
"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)
lyrics/music
Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
history
official anthem, as a French collectivity
Economy
Economic overview
high-income, French North American territorial economy; primarily fishing exports; substantial French Government support; highly seasonal labor force; euro user; increasing tourism and aquaculture investments
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2015
$261.3 million (2015 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$261.3 million (2015 est.)
Agricultural products
vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Industries
fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism
Exports - partners
Canada 78%, Ireland 5%, France 5%, Djibouti 4%, UK 2% (2023)
Exports - commodities
processed crustaceans, shellfish (2023)
Imports - partners
France 57%, Canada 37%, Netherlands 3%, Belgium 2%, Spain 0% (2023)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, packaged medicine, cars, plastic products, other foods (2023)
Exchange rates
Currency
euros (EUR) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024
0.924 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023
0.925 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022
0.95 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021
0.845 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020
0.876 (2020 est.)
Energy
Electricity
installed generating capacity
26,000 kW (2023 est.)
consumption
48.714 million kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses
2 million kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels
100% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Petroleum
refined petroleum consumption
400 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Communications
Telephones - fixed lines
total subscriptions
4,800 (2015 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
76 (2015 est.)
Broadcast media
8 TV stations, all part of the French Overseas Network, and local cable provided by SPM Telecom; 3 of 4 radio stations are part of the French Overseas Network (2021)
Internet country code
.pm
Internet users
percent of population
88.7% (2022 est.)
Transportation
Airports
2 (2025)
Ports
total ports
2 (2024)
large
0
medium
0
small
1
very small
0
size unknown
1
ports with oil terminals
1
key ports
Miquelon, St. Pierre
Military and Security
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of France