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.

Geographic coordinates: 46 50 N 56 20 W

Map reference: North America

Area
Total: 242 km²
Land: 242 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups
Rank: 214
Comparative: one and half times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 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
Mean elevation: NA
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m: highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m

Natural resources: fish deepwater ports

Land use
Agricultural land: 8.7%
Forest: 12.5%
Other: 78.8%

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard

Geography
Note: vegetation scanty; the islands are actually part of the northern Appalachians along with Newfoundland

Population
Distribution: most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island: 5,595 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 228
Growth rate: -1.09% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 234
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Frenchman Frenchwoman(women)
Adjective: French

Ethnic groups: Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Languages: French (official)

Religions: Roman Catholic 99% other 1%

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.57%
15-24 years: 9.06%
25-54 years: 42.29%
55-64 years: 13.6%
65 years and over: 19.48% (2016 est.)

Median age
Total: 45.9 years
Male: 45.4 years
Female: 46.3 years
Rank: 4

Population growth rate: -1.09% (2016 est.)
Rank: 234

Birth rate: 7.2 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 225

Death rate: 9.8 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 45

Net migration rate: -8.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 211

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: 90.4% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.1% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: SAINT-PIERRE (capital) 5,000 (2014)

Environment
Current issues: recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the environment

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.08 male/female
25-54 years: 0.97 male/female
55-64 years: 1.1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 7.7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 5.5 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 163

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.5 years
Male: 78.2 years
Female: 83 years
Rank: 36

Total fertility rate: 1.57 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 187

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

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
Etymology: Saint-Pierre is named after Saint PETER the patron saint of fishermen; Miquelon may be a corruption of the Basque name Mikelon

Government type: parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

Capital
Name: Saint-Pierre
Geographic coordinates: 46 46 N 56 11 W
Time difference: UTC-3
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

Administrative divisions: none (territorial overseas collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government but there are 2 communes at the second order - Saint Pierre Miquelon

Independence: none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)

National holiday: Fete de la Federation 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: French civil law

Citizenship: see France

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Francois HOLLANDE ; represented by Prefect Jean-Christophe BOUVIER (since September 2014)
Head of government: President of Territorial Council Stephane ARTANO
Cabinet: Le Cabinet du Prefet
Electionsappointments: French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term ; election last held on 6 May 2012 (next to be held in 2017); prefect appointed by French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Territorial Council or Conseil Territorial
Note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 member to the French Senate; elections last held on 28 September 2014 ; results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AD 1 (affiliated with UMP); Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 member to the French National Assembly; elections last held on 17 June 2012 (next to be held by June 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Ensemble pour l'Avenir 1 (affiliated with PRG)
Elections: elections last held on 18 March 2012
Election results: percent of vote by party - AD 52.5% Ensemble pour l'Avenir 47.5%; seats by party - AD 14 Ensemble pour l'Avenir 5

Judicial branch
Highest court: Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel
Judge selection and term of office: judge selection and tenure NA
Subordinate courts: NA

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: UPU WFTU (NGOs)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)
From the us: none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description: a yellow three-masted sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a blue background with scattered white wavy lines under the ship; a continuous black-over-white wavy line divides the ship from the white wavy lines; 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 blue on the main portion of the flag symbolizes the Atlantic Ocean and the stylized ship represents the Grande Hermine in which Jacques Cartier 'discovered' the islands in 1536
Note: the flag of France used for official occasions

National symbols: 16th-century sailing ship

National anthem
Note: as a collectivity of France 'La Marseillaise' is official

Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $215.3 million (2006 est.)
Note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million
Rank: 219

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: $34,900 (2006 est.)
Rank: 55

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2%
Industry: 15%
Services: 83%

Agriculture products: vegetables; poultry cattle sheep pigs; fish

Industries: fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 3,194 (2006)
Rank: 223
By occupation agriculture: 18%
By occupation industry: 41%
By occupation services: 41%

Unemployment rate: 9.9% (2008 est.)
Rank: 115

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $70 million
Expenditures: $60 million
Surplus or deficit: 4.6% of GDP (1996 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 9

Taxes and other revenues: 32.5% of GDP (1996 est.)
Rank: 73

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 166

Exports:
Rank: 217
Commodities: fish and fish products soybeans animal feed mollusks and crustaceans fox and mink pelts

Imports:
Rank: 217
Commodities: meat clothing fuel electrical equipment machinery building materials

Debt external: $N/A

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 45 million kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 209
Consumption: 41.85 million kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 208
Exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 190
Imports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 196
Installed generating capacity: 27,600 kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 200
Generation sources fossil fuels: 97.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 57
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 175
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 197
Generation sources other renewable sources: 2.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 79

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 185
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 182
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 120
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 184

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 126
Products consumption: 630 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products consumption rank: 206
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 127
Products imports: 624.9 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 203

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 123
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 189
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 173
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 128
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 es)
Proven reserves rank: 188

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 200,000 Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 204

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4,800
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 80
Fixed lines rank: 209

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate
International: country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; satellite earth station - 1 in French domestic satellite system

Broadcast media: 2 TV stations with a third repeater station all part of the French Overseas Network; radio stations on St. Pierre and on Miquelon are part of the French Overseas Network (2007)

Internet
Country code: .pm
Users total: 4,500
Users percent of population: 79.5%

Airports: 2 (2013)
Rank: 205
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1

Roadways
Total: 117 km
Paved: 80 km
Unpaved: 37 km
Rank: 215

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Saint-Pierre

Disputes international: none