Saint Pierre and Miquelon

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.)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 4,800 (2015 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 76 (2015 est.)

Agricultural products

vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

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

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.924 (2024 est.) 0.925 (2023 est.) 0.95 (2022 est.) 0.845 (2021 est.) 0.876 (2020 est.)

Exports - commodities

processed crustaceans, shellfish (2023) note: top export commodities based on value in dollars over $500,000

Exports - partners

Canada 78%, Ireland 5%, France 5%, Djibouti 4%, UK 2% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP (official exchange rate)

$261.3 million (2015 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, packaged medicine, cars, plastic products, other foods (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

France 57%, Canada 37%, Netherlands 3%, Belgium 2%, Spain 0% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industries

fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$261.3 million (2015 est.) note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million

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.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

57,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 57,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Climate

cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy

Environmental issues

overfishing

Land use

agricultural land: 8.7% (2023 est.) arable land: 8.7% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.) 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.)

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 - comparative

1.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Climate

cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy

Coastline

120 km

Elevation

highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

46 50 N, 56 20 W

Geography - note

vegetation scanty; the islands are part of the northern Appalachians, along with Newfoundland

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Land use

agricultural land: 8.7% (2023 est.) arable land: 8.7% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.) permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.) forest: 5% (2023 est.) other: 86.3% (2023 est.)

Location

Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)

Map references

North America

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard

Natural resources

fish, deepwater ports

Population distribution

most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island

Terrain

mostly barren rock

Administrative divisions

no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but 2 communes are considered second-order: Saint Pierre, Miquelon

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

Citizenship

see France

Constitution

history: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) amendment process: amendment procedures of France's constitution apply

Country name

conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon local long form: D partement 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

Dependency status

overseas collectivity of France

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy: none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of France)

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 Pr fet 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: 2020: Bernard BRIAND elected President of Territorial Council; Territorial Council vote - 17 for, 2 abstentions 2017: Stephane LENORMAND elected President of Territorial Council vote - NA

Flag

description: 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 ikkurina ) 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 meaning: 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 note: the flag of France used for official occasions

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

Independence

none (overseas collectivity collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)

International organization participation

UPU, WFTU (NGOs)

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Sup rieur d'Appel (composition NA) judge selection and term of office: judge selection and tenure NA

Legal system

French civil law

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 note: 1 senator is indirectly elected to the French Senate by an electoral college for a 6-year term, and 1 deputy is directly elected to the French National Assembly for a 5-year term

National anthem(s)

title: "La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille) lyrics/music: Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle history: official anthem, as a French collectivity

National holiday

F te de la F d ration, 14 July (1790) note: often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, France's national celebration commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison on 14 July 1789 and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are la F te nationale (National Holiday) and le Quatorze Juillet (14th of July)

National symbol(s)

16th-century sailing ship

Political parties

Archipelago Tomorrow (Archipel Domain) or AD (affiliated with The Republicans) Focus on the Future (Cap sur l'Avenir) (affiliated with Left Radical Party) Together to Build (Ensemble pour Construire)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France

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)

Birth rate

6.31 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

65.2% (2020 est.)

Death rate

11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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.)

Ethnic groups

Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Gross reproduction rate

0.79 (2025 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

Languages

French (official) major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 81.8 years (2024 est.) male: 79.5 years female: 84.3 years

Major urban areas - population

6,000 SAINT-PIERRE (capital) (2018)

Median age

total: 51.8 years (2025 est.) male: 50.5 years female: 51.9 years

Nationality

noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French

Net migration rate

-6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population

total: 5,070 (2025 est.) male: 2,442 female: 2,628

Population distribution

most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island

Population growth rate

-1.24% (2025 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Sanitation facility access

total: 99.9% of population (2022 est.) total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)

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.)

Total fertility rate

1.6 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 90.1% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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