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.

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

one and half times the size of Washington, DC

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

fish, deepwater ports

persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard

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

Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

5,831 (July 2012 est.)

8.06 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

8.92 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

-8.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

SAINT-PIERRE (capital) 5,000 (2009)

1.55 children born/woman (2012 est.)

self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France

parliamentary representative democracy

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

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

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

18 years of age; universal

unicameral Territorial Council or Conseil Territorial (19 seats, 15 from Saint Pierre and four from Miquelon; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)

Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel

Archipelago Tomorrow or AD (affiliated with UDF/RPR list); Cap sur l'Avenir (affiliated with PRG); Left Radical Party or PRG; Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR (now UMP); Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2000/Avenir Miquelon or SPM 2000/AM; Socialist Party or PS; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

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

16th-century sailing ship

The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. France heavily subsidizes the islands to the great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. Fish farming, crab fishing, and agriculture are being developed to diversify the local economy. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way for development of the energy sector.

$48.3 million (2003 est.)

vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism

$5.5 million (2005 est.)

fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts

$68.2 million (2005 est.)

meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

53 million kWh (2009 est.)

49.29 million kWh (2009 est.)

27,000 kW (2009 est.)

100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

974 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

584 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

152,600 Mt (2010 est.)

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)

defense is the responsibility of France