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. They attained the status of an overseas collectivity in 2003.

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: 213
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
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% (2011 est.)
Forest: 12.5% (2011 est.)
Other: 78.8% (2011 est.)

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: 5,347 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 227
Growth rate: -1.15% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 232
Below poverty line note: NA

Nationality
Noun: Frenchman(men), 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: 14.31% (male 395/female 370)
15-24 years: 8.83% (male 245/female 227)
25-54 years: 40% (male 1039/female 1100)
55-64 years: 14.49% (male 400/female 375)
65 years and over: 22.37% (male 513/female 683) (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 48.5 years
Male: 47.9 years
Female: 49 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 3

Population growth rate: -1.15% (2020 est.)
Rank: 232

Birth rate: 6.7 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 227

Death rate: 10.9 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 23

Net migration rate: -7.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 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% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.36% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 6,000 SAINT-PIERRE (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: overfishing; 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: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.1 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 5.1 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 164

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81 years
Male: 78.6 years
Female: 83.5 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 41

Total fertility rate: 1.58 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 189

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

Education expenditures
Note: 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 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November: etymology: named after Saint Peter, the patron saint of fisherman

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 (overseas collectivity collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)

National holiday: Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790)

Constitution
History: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Amendments: amendment procedures of Frances constitution apply

Legal system: French civil law

Citizenship: see France

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Prefect Thierry DEVIMEUX (since 17 January 2018)
Head of government: President of Territorial Council Stephane LENORMAND (since 24 October 2017)
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 (eligible for a second term); election last held on 23 April and 6 May 2017 (next to be held in 2022); prefect appointed by French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur dAppel (composition NA)
Judge selection and term of office: judge selection and tenure NA
Subordinate courts: NA

Political parties and leaders: Archipelago Tomorrow or AD (affiliated with UMP)Cap sur l'Avenir [Annick GIRARDIN] (affiliated with Left Radical Party)Togerther for the Future (Ensemble pour l'Avenir) (affiliated with PRG) SPM ensemble

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 (see France)

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million

Real gdp growth rate: NA

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 34

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2% (2006 est.)
Industry: 15% (2006 est.)
Services: 83% (2006 est.)

Agriculture products: vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

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

Industrial production growth rate
Note: NA

Labor force: 4,429 (2015)
Rank: 223
By occupation agriculture: 18%
By occupation industry: 41%
By occupation services: 41% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 133

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Budget
Revenues: 70 million (1996 est.)
Expenditures: 60 million (1996 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 3.8% (of GDP) (1996 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 10

Taxes and other revenues: 26.8% (of GDP) (1996 est.)
Rank: 104

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 91

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: NA

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 46 million kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 206
Consumption: 42.78 million kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 206
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 190
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 192
Installed generating capacity: 27,600 kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 201
Generation sources fossil fuels: 96% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 41
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 174
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 197
Generation sources other renewable sources: 4% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 118

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 193
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 186
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 188
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 188

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 195
Products consumption: 660 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 207
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 196
Products imports: 650 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 203

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 190
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 192
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 175
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 181
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 187

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 100,200 Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 205

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4,086
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 75.55 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 206

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

Internet
Country code: .pm
Users total: 4,500
Users percent of population: 79.5% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 218

Airports: 2 (2013)
Rank: 204
With paved runways total: 2 (2019)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1

Roadways
Total: 117 km (2009)
Paved: 80 km (2009)
Unpaved: 37 km (2009)
Rank: 213

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Saint-Pierre

Disputes international: none