Saint Pierre and Miquelon

The territorial collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French: Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon) are a group of small islands — the main ones being Saint Pierre and Miquelon — off the eastern coast of Canada near Newfoundland.

The islands are part of France and the European Union but due to special immigration procedures, EU nationals who are not French citizens are not allowed to exercise free movement and business establishment in the archipelago [1].

The archipelago is the only remnant of the former colonial territory of New France that remains under French control.

History

Main article: History of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

The early settlement of St. Pierre and Miquelon, which were prized by Europeans for their rich fishing grounds, was characterized by periods of conflict between the French and English.

There is evidence of prehistoric inhabitation on the islands (most likely Beothuk). The European settlements on the islands are some of the oldest in the Americas (with the Spanish and Portuguese settlements), dating from at least the early 16th century. At first the Basque fishermen only visited the islands seasonally during the fishing season, and by the mid 17th century there were permanent French residents on the islands.

At the end of the 17th and into the early 18th century, British attacks on the islands caused the French settlers to abandon the islands, and the British took possession for 50 years (from 1713 to 1763). The French took the islands back in 1763 under the Treaty of Paris (which ceded all of New France to Britain except for Saint Pierre and Miquelon) and settlers returned to live peacefully for 15 years.

French support of the American Revolution led to a British attack on the islands, and the deportation of the French settlers. Possession of Miquelon and St. Pierre passed back and forth between France and Great Britain for the next 38 years, as the islands suffered attacks by both countries, voluntary or forced removal of the island's residents, and upheaval associated with the French Revolution.

France finally took the islands back after Napoleon's second abdication in 1815, and there followed 70 years of prosperity for the French fishing industry and residents on Miquelon and St. Pierre. However, political and economic changes led to a slow decline of the fishing industry after the late 19th century.

There was a short 13-year economic boom on the island associated with the period of Prohibition in the United States, when Miquelon and St. Pierre were prominent bases for alcohol smuggling. This boom ended with the repeal of prohibition in 1933, and the economy sank into depression.

During the Second World War, the governor, Gilbert de Bournat, was loyal to the Vichy regime; he had to negotiate financial arrangements with U.S. authorities to obtain loans guaranteed by the French treasury. At the same time, Canada was considering an invasion of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Several pretexts were put forward, notably radio broadcasts of Vichy propaganda. It was alleged that the radio was helping German U-Boats on the Grand Banks, though this was never proven. On the advice of his Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, Governor Genereal Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, never authorised the implementation of the plans.

Under orders from de Gaulle, Admiral Émile Muselier organised the liberation of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, without the consent and knowledge of the Canadian and U.S. authorities. On 24 December, 1941, a Free French flotilla led by the submarine cruiser Surcouf took control of the islands without resistance. De Gaulle had a referendum organised, which was favourable to him, and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon thus became one of the first French territories to join Free France. The affair led to a durable distrust between De Gaulle and Roosevelt.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

The politics of Saint Pierre and Miquelon take place within a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic French overseas collectivity, whereby the President of the Territorial Council is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon also sends one deputy to the French National Assembly and one senator to the French Senate.

In 1992, a maritime boundary dispute with Canada over the delineation of the Exclusive Economic Zone belonging to France was settled by the International Court of Arbitration. In the decision, France kept the 12 nautical mile (NM) (22.2 km) territorial sea surrounding the islands and was given an additional 12 NM (22.2 km) contiguous zone as well as a 10.5 NM (19.4 km) wide corridor stretching 200 NM (370 km) south. The total area in the award was 18% of what France had requested.

The boundary dispute had been a flash point for Franco-Canadian relations. New claims made under UNCLOS by France over the continental shelf might cause new tensions between France and Canada.

Administrative divisions

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is administratively divided into two communes (municipalities). They are: Miquelon-Langlade and Saint-Pierre.

Geography and environment

Main article: Geography of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

The island of Saint-Pierre is surrounded by smaller dependencies which include the island of Grand Colombier, Petit Colombier, Île aux Marins (formally known as Île aux Chiens), Île aux Pigeons and Île aux Vainqueurs. The total area of the islands is 242 km² (93.4 sq mi). They have a coastline which is 120 km (75 miles) long.

The island of Miquelon is roughly 25 km (16 mi) from the main coast of Newfoundland at their closest points. However, there is a small Canadian island with a lighthouse belonging to Newfoundland called Green Island that is halfway between Langlade and Newfoundland at 46°52′44″N 56°05′21″W / 46.87889, -56.08917, and is about km ( mi) from both Langlade and St. Pierre.^[1]

The island of Miquelon is separated from St. Pierre by a 6 km (4 mi) strait with very fierce currents. Fishermen call this section of ocean "The Mouth of Hell". The waters around these islands are very treacherous, and there have been over 600 shipwrecks along the coasts of the islands.

Simulated view of the islands by NASA

The island of Miquelon was formed by the joining of three islands by sand dunes and Quaternary deposits. These islands are Le Cap, Miquelon (Grande Miquelon), and Langlade (Petite Miquelon). Miquelon and Langlade were separate until a large sandbar joined them in the 18th century.^[1] Miquelon has a lagoon called Grand Barachois, where seals and other wildlife can be found.

The climate is very damp and windy, the winters are harsh and long. The spring and early summer are foggy and cool. Late summer and early fall are sunny.

Every spring, whales migrating to Greenland are visible off the coasts of Miquelon and St Pierre.

Trilobite fossils have been found on Langlade. There were a number of stone pillars off the island coasts called "L'anse aux Soldats" that have been eroded away and disappeared in the 1970s.^[2]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

The islands were dependent upon the cod fishery for the best part of the last four centuries. However, overfishing on the Grand Banks has led Canada to impose a long-term closure of this industry. Since fishing quotas are governed by Canada, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and the French fishing fleet (whether based out of the islands or out of mainland France) have been seriously affected.

In Saint-Pierre and Miquelon many efforts are being made, with the help of the French government, to diversify the local economy. Tourism, fish farming, crab fishing and agriculture are being developed.

Between 1890 and 1965, the islanders used the Saint Pierre and Miquelon franc, which was equal to the French franc until 1945, then to the CFA franc between 1945 and 1960, and then to the French new franc until 1965, when the French currency was established as the sole circulating currency. Since 2002, the islanders have used the euro. Until the 1990s, the islanders used French postage stamps, but now the islands issue their own. Domestic French postal rates apply to mail between mainland France and the islands. The French postal code is 97500.

Demography

Main article: Demographics of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Landscape of Miquelon

The population of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon at the 2006 local census was 6,125 inhabitants. 5,509 of these lived in the commune (municipality) of Saint-Pierre and the other 616 in the commune of Miquelon-Langlade (all on Miquelon proper, and none on Langlade Island).

Langlade currently has no year-round residents, since its sole inhabitant, Charles Lafitte,^[3] died in July 2006. Langlade is a summer retreat for many inhabitants of Saint-Pierre, when its population can swell up to 1000.

Island names

Saint-Pierre is French for Saint Peter, who is the patron saint of fishermen (along with St Andrew, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Benno, St Nicholas of Myra, St Zeno of Verona^[4]).

The present name of Miquelon was first noted in the form of 'Micquelle' in the Basque sailor Martin de Hoyarçabal's navigational pilot for Newfoundland^[5]. It has been claimed that the name 'Miquelon' is a Basque form of Michael^[6]^[7], but it appears that this is not a usual form in that language. Many Basques speak Spanish, and Miquelon may have been influenced by the Spanish name Miguelón, a form of Miguel meaning 'big Michael'.^{[citation needed]}

The adjoining island's name of 'Langlade' is a corruption of 'l'île à l'Anglais' (Englishman's Island)^[7].

Culture

French is the official language of the islands. The local accent and many of the words used are similar to the Norman language.

French patriotism is strong on the islands,^{[citation needed]} and the islanders are proud^{[citation needed]} that some of the soil on the island is French, having been brought over in the ballasts of ships.

Basque pride might be just as strong, given the strong historical ties of the islands to the Basque region of France and Spain. Every year in the summer there is a Basque Festival, with demonstrations of harrijasotzaile (stone heaving), haitzkolari (lumberjack skills), and paleta (a game somewhat like Jaï-Alaï).

Hockey is very popular in Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Several players from the islands have played on French teams and even participated on the French National hockey team in the Olympics.

Street names are not commonly used on the islands. Directions and locations are commonly given using nicknames and the names of nearby residents.

The only time the guillotine was ever used in North America was in Saint-Pierre in the late 19th century. Joseph Néel was convicted of killing Mr. Coupard on Île aux chiens on December 30, 1888, and executed by guillotine on August 24, 1889. The guillotine had to be shipped from Martinique and it did not arrive in working order. It was very difficult to get anyone to perform the execution; finally a recent immigrant was coaxed into doing the job. This event was the inspiration for the film The Widow of Saint-Pierre (La Veuve de Saint-Pierre) released in 2000. The guillotine is now in a museum in Saint-Pierre.

Military

Further information: Military of France

France is responsible for the defence of the islands.

Transportation

Saint Pierre and Miquelon has no railway and 114 km (70.8 miles) of highways (plus 45 km (28 miles) of unpaved roads). Its only major harbour is Saint-Pierre. The dependency has no merchant marine and two airports; the runway at Saint-Pierre Airport is 1800m long, and at Miquelon Airport, 1000m.

A regular ferry service is available between Saint-Pierre and the town of Fortune, Newfoundland.

Air transport is provided by Air Saint-Pierre which connects Saint-Pierre with Miquelon and several Canadian cities.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon is the only jurisdiction in North America not to have adopted for its vehicle registration plates the standard of six inches in height by twelve inches in width and instead uses French-style plates.

Time zone

Saint Pierre and Miquelon is in its own time zone with respect to the rest of North America, UTC-3, which means three hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. This also translates to two hours ahead of New York (Eastern Time Zone), one hour ahead of Halifax (Atlantic Time Zone), and thirty minutes ahead of St. John's (Newfoundland Standard Time Zone). This is the same time zone as Greenland, most of Brazil, and French Guiana.

However, most road atlases (those from North America in particular) erroneously place Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Time Zone (UTC-4).

Notables

Denis Kang, martial arts fighter.
Henry Hughes Hough, Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and Governor of the United States Virgin Islands.
Léon Charles Albert Calmette collaborated with veterinarian Camille Guérin to produce the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis. As a member of the French Naval Medical Corps, he was assigned to the islands after being stationed in Hong Kong and arrived in 1887.

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b Janzen, Olaf Uwe (2001). St. Pierre et Miquelon. Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
^ La Géologie des îles Saint-Pierre et Miquelon (French). Encyclopédie des îles Saint-Pierre & Miquelon. Miquelon Conseil. Archived from the original on 2006-01-11.
^ Charles Lafitte was widely known on the islands as "de Gaulle", and lived as a hermit on Langlade for many years with his dogs.
^ PATRON SAINT INDEX TOPIC: fishermen, anglers. Catholic Community Forum. Archived from the original on 2007-02-20.
^ Hoyarçabal, Martin de: Les voyages aventureux du Capitaine Martin de Hoyarsal, habitant du çubiburu (Bordeaux, France, 1579)
^ The Basques of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Buber's Basque Page dated April 30, 2006 (accessed 27 September 2007).
^ ^a ^b Saint-Pierre & Miquelon Tourism Agencies in Saint Pierre et Miquelon, Miquelon Consulting, 2006 (accessed 27 September 2007)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Community, culture and history

Tourism

Territorial issues

Saint-Pierre & Miquelon Continental Plate - "Defend Saint-Pierre & Miquelon"

Coordinates: 46°47′N, 56°12′W

Overseas departments and territories of France
Overseas departments¹	French Guiana · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Réunion
Overseas collectivities	French Polynesia · Mayotte² · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · Wallis and Futuna
Special status	New Caledonia
Uninhabited lands	Clipperton Island French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Amsterdam Island • Saint Paul Island • Crozet Islands • Kerguelen Islands • Adélie Land Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean: Bassas da India³ • Europa Island³ • Glorioso Islands^2, 3, 4 • Juan de Nova Island³ • Tromelin Island⁵)
¹ Also known as overseas regions • ² claimed by Comoros • ³ claimed by Madagascar • ⁴ claimed by Seychelles • ⁵ claimed by Mauritius

Countries and territories of Northern America
Canada · Bermuda · Greenland · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · United States

Countries of North America

Several nations listed here straddle both North and South America or can also be considered Caribbean

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Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Canada · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · France (Guadeloupe & Martinique) · Grenada · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · St. Kitts and Nevis · St. Lucia · St. Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago · United States

Dependencies

Denmark	Greenland
France	Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Netherlands	Aruba · Netherlands Antilles
United Kingdom	Anguilla · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Montserrat · Turks and Caicos Islands
United States	Puerto Rico · U.S. Virgin Islands

Outlying territories of European countries
Territories under European sovereignty but closer to or on continents other than Europe (see inclusion criteria for further information)
Denmark	Greenland
France	Clipperton Island · French Guiana · French Polynesia · French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Amsterdam • Saint-Paul • Crozet • Kerguelen • Adélie Land¹ • Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean: Bassas da India • Europa Island • Glorioso Islands • Juan de Nova Island • Tromelin Island) · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Mayotte · New Caledonia · Réunion · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · Wallis and Futuna
Italy	Pantelleria · Pelagie Islands (Lampedusa • Lampione • Linosa)
Netherlands	Aruba · Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire • Curaçao • Saba • Sint Maarten • Sint Eustatius)
Norway	Bouvet Island · Peter I Island¹ · Queen Maud Land¹
Portugal	Azores Islands · Madeira Islands
Russia	Khabomai · Ratmanov Island · Shikotan
Spain	Canary Islands · Ceuta · Isla de Alborán · Isla Perejil · Islas Chafarinas · Melilla · Peñón de Alhucemas · Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera
United Kingdom	Anguilla · Ascension Island · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Falkland Islands · Montserrat · Saint Helena · Tristan da Cunha · Turks and Caicos Islands · British Antarctic Territory¹ · British Indian Ocean Territory · Pitcairn Islands · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
¹ Claims to sovereignty over territories in Antarctica are currently suspended under the Antarctic Treaty System.

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Members	Albania · Andorra · Belgium (French Community) · Benin · Bulgaria · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cambodia · Cameroon · Canada (New Brunswick · Quebec) · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Cyprus¹ · Comoros · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire · Djibouti · Dominica · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia · France (including French Guiana · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Saint Pierre and Miquelon) · Gabon · Ghana¹ · Greece · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Haiti · Laos · Luxembourg · Lebanon · Madagascar · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Moldova · Monaco · Morocco · Niger · Romania · Rwanda · St. Lucia · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Switzerland · Togo · Tunisia · Vanuatu · Vietnam
Observers	Armenia · Austria · Croatia · Czech Republic · Georgia · Hungary · Lithuania · Mozambique · Poland · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Ukraine
¹ Associate member.

bpy:সেন্ট পিয়েরে বারো মিকুয়েলোন lij:San Pè e Miquelon nov:Sankte Pier e Mikelon

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