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.

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
Comparative: one and half times the size of Washington, DC
Country comparison total: 0 km

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% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 8.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land forest: 12.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 78.8% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)

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

Population
Distribution: most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island
Total: 5,132
Male: 2,476
Female: 2,656 (2024 est.)
Growth rate: -1.21% (2024 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
Adjective: French

Ethnic groups: Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Languages: French (official)
Major-language samples: Gheos World Guide une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French); Gheos World Guide, 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: 52
Youth dependency ratio: 26.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 25.9
Potential support ratio: 3.9 (2021)

Median age
Total: 51.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 50.5 years
Female: 51.9 years

Population growth rate: -1.21% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 6.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 11.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate: -6.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 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)

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: 1.05 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: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 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 (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 8.6% of population (2017 est.)
Unimproved urban: NA

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: NA
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

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 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: Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

Constitution
History: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Amendments: amendment procedures of France's 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 Christian POUGET (since 6 January 2021)
Head of government: President of Territorial Council Bernard BRIAND (since 13 October 2020)
Cabinet: Le Cabinet du Prefet
Elections/appointments: 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 10 April and 24 April 2022 (next to be held in 2,027); 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; election last held on 13 October 2020 (next to be held NA)
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

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Territorial Council or Conseil Territorial (19 seats - Saint Pierre 15, Miquelon 4; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed to serve 6-year terms)
Elections: Territorial Council - first round held on 20 March and second round held on 27 March 2022 (next to be held in March 2,028); French Senate - last held on 27 September 2020 (next to be held no later than September 2025); French National Assembly - last held on 12 and 19 June 2022 (next to be held by June 2,027)
Elections results: Territorial Council - percent of vote by party in first round - AD 45.9%, Focus on the Future 37%, Together to Build 17.1%; percent of vote by party in second round - AD 51.8%, Focus on the Future 38.1%, Together to Build 10.1%, seats by party - AD 15, Focus on the Future 4; composition - men NA, women NA, percent of women NA%; French Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PS 1 (affiliated with UMP); French National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AD 1
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

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

Political parties and leaders: 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)

International organization participation: UPU, WFTU (NGOs)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas territory of France)
From the us embassy: 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)

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

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

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

Labor force: 4,429 (2015)

Unemployment rate: 8.7% (2015 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.5% (2015); (2010)

Exports
Partners: Canada 84%, France 11%, Ireland 3%, Slovakia 1%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 0% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: processed crustaceans, shellfish, fish, special purpose motor vehicles, vehicle parts/accessories (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports
Partners: France 52%, Canada 42%, Netherlands 2%, Germany 1%, Belgium 1% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: refined petroleum, packaged medicine, other foods, plastic products, cars (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 26,000 kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 48.714 million kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 2 million kWh (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 400 bbl/day (2022 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 59,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 59,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: (2019)

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

Airports: 2 (2024)

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