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56-631: Grand Barachois ( French pronunciation: [ɡʁɑ̃ baʁaʃwa] ) is a large natural lagoon in Saint Pierre and Miquelon . It lies immediately south of Miquelon Island , and is formed largely by the 12 kilometre-long tombolo of La Dune . There is an observatory on the shore of the lagoon called the Observatoire du Grand Barachois. 46°59′20″N 56°19′20″W  /  46.98889°N 56.32222°W  / 46.98889; -56.32222 This Saint Pierre and Miquelon location article

112-569: A 42 l." ... "Gisant la Colombe de S. Pierre le pertuis de Micquellon nord noroest & sud suest: y a 7 l. It has been claimed that the name Miquelon is a Basque form of Michael; Mikel and Mikels are usually named Mikelon in the Basque Country . Therefore, from Mikelon it may have been written in the French way with a q instead of a k . The Basque Country is divided between Spain and France, and most Basques live south of

168-584: A community of Anglophone settlers. The nascent British colony was in turn attacked by the French Navy in 1796. The Treaty of Amiens of 1802 returned the islands to France, but Britain reoccupied them when hostilities recommenced the next year. The 1814 Treaty of Paris gave the islands back to France, though the UK occupied them yet again during the Hundred Days War in 1815. France then reclaimed

224-417: A decrease from 2009, from 7.7% to 7.1%. Exports are very low (5.1% of GDP) while imports are significant (49.1% of GDP). About 70% of the islands' supplies are imported from Canada or from other parts of France via Nova Scotia. The rise in unemployment has been countered by state financial aid for the retraining of businesses and individuals. The construction of the airport in 1999 helped sustain activity in

280-412: A high emigration rate, especially among young adults, who often leave for their studies without returning afterwards. Even at the time of the great prosperity of the cod fishery, the population growth had always been constrained by the geographic remoteness, harsh climate and infertile soils. Ruins show that Indigenous American people visited the archipelago on fishing and hunting expeditions before it

336-516: A longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25 percent of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France, which benefits the standard of living. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects, and test drilling for oil may pave the way development of the energy sector. The climate and the small amount of available land militate against activities such as farming and livestock raising (weather conditions are severe, confining

392-526: A member of the governing La République en Marche (LREM) was pelted with seaweed and stones in response to the government's new COVID-19 rules. The rule was announced by the state representative, the prefect, on 2 January for the island and angered residents. France is responsible for the defence of the islands. The French Navy has maintained a patrol boat, the ex-trawler Fulmar , in the region since 1997. Law enforcement in Saint Pierre and Miquelon

448-852: A population of 6,008 as of the March 2016 census . The islands are in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near the entrance of Fortune Bay , which extends into the southwestern coast of Newfoundland , near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland . St. Pierre is 19 km (12 mi) from Point May on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland and 3,819 km (2,373 mi) from Brest , the nearest city in Metropolitan France . The tiny Canadian Green Island lies 10 km (6 mi) east of Saint Pierre, roughly halfway to Point May. Saint-Pierre

504-562: A senator and a deputy to the National Assembly of France in Paris and enjoys a degree of autonomy concerning taxes, customs, and excise. France appoints the prefect of Saint Pierre and Miquelon , who represents the national government in the territory. The prefect is in charge of national interests, law enforcement, public order, and, under the conditions set by the statute of 1985, administrative control. Since 21 August 2023,

560-480: Is French for Saint Peter , the patron saint of fishermen. The present name of Miquelon was first noted in the form of Micquetô , Miqueton or Micquellon in the French Basque sailor Martin de Hoyarçabal 's 1579 navigational pilot for Newfoundland, Les voyages aventureux du Capitaine Martin de Hoyarsabal, habitant du çubiburu : Giſant le cap de Breton & le pertuis de Miqueton est oest, y

616-493: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon ( / ˈ m ɪ k ə l ɒ n / MIK -ə-lon ), officially the Overseas Collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (French: Collectivité d'outre-mer de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon [sɛ̃ pjɛʁ e miklɔ̃] ), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in

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672-601: Is abundant (1,312 mm or 51.7 in per year) and regular (146 days per year), falling as snow and rain. Because of its location at the confluence of the cold waters of the Labrador Current and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream , the archipelago is also crossed a hundred days a year by fog banks, mainly in June and July. Two other climatic elements are remarkable: the extremely variable winds and haze during

728-445: Is capable of accommodating long-haul flights from France. A third, formerly inhabited island, Isle-aux-Marins , known as Île-aux-Chiens until 1931 and located a short distance from the port of Saint-Pierre, has been uninhabited since 1963. The other main islands are Grand Colombier , Île aux Vainqueurs , and Île aux Pigeons . Seabirds are the most common fauna. Seals and other wildlife can be found in

784-613: Is still in force, is set out in the Bayonne Treaties between 1856 and 1868. During the mandates of Queen Isabel II and the French emperor Napoleon III ,several agreements were signed between the two countries by which the border was established: Later both countries concluded agreements under the same point. In 1980 an agreement was signed to define the border into the Bielsa-Aragnouet tunnel, and 1984, during

840-580: Is the currency in Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Before 1890, Mexican dubloons and Canadian dollars both circulated on the islands. Starting in 1889, these were supplemented with local franc banknotes from the Banque des Îles de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon until the end of World War One. In 1945 the island started using the CFA franc , which otherwise was used by the French colonies in Africa. CFA banknotes issued by

896-557: Is the responsibility of a branch of the French Gendarmerie Nationale ; there are two police stations in the archipelago. France claimed a 200-nautical-mile (370 km; 230 mi) exclusive economic zone for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and in August 1983 the naval ship Lieutenant de vaisseau Le Hénaff and the seismic ship Lucien Beaufort were sent to explore for oil in the disputed zone. In addition to

952-734: The Dune de Langlade (also known as the Isthme de Langlade ), a 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) long sandy tombolo . A storm severed them in the 18th century, separating the two islands for several decades, before currents reconstructed the isthmus. Morne de la Grande Montagne , the tallest point in the territory at 240 meters high, is located on Grande Miquelon. The waters between Langlade and Saint-Pierre were called "the Mouth of Hell" (French: Gueule d'Enfer ) until about 1900, as more than 600 shipwrecks have been recorded in that point since 1800. In

1008-535: The Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outremer stamped with the text "Saint Pierre et Miquelon". In 1973, these were replaced with the ("regular") new French franc, which had been in use in Metropolitan France since 1960, equal to 100 pre-1960 French francs. The Institut d'émission des départements d'outre-mer ( IEDOM ), the French public institution responsible for issuing currency in

1064-488: The European Communities . Since March 2003, Saint Pierre and Miquelon has been an overseas collectivity with a special status. The archipelago has two communes : Saint-Pierre and Miquelon-Langlade . A third commune, Isle-aux-Marins , existed until 1945, when it was absorbed by the municipality of Saint-Pierre. The inhabitants possess French citizenship and suffrage. Saint Pierre and Miquelon sends

1120-527: The business sector . Tourism is increasingly important and the territory capitalises on its image as "France in North America". There are, as of mid-2024, six hotels on Saint-Pierre as well as B&Bs and AirBnB rentals on both main islands. There are, as of mid-2024, 13 restaurants and bistros on Saint-Pierre and one on Île aux Marins , and the islands' tourism bureau promotes their authentic French cuisine as well as other cuisines. The euro

1176-498: The growing season to a few weeks, and the soil contains significant peat and clay and is largely infertile). Since 1992 the economy has been in steep decline, following the depletion of fish stocks due to overfishing , the limitation of fishing areas and the ban imposed on all cod fishing by the Canadian Government. The labour market is characterized by high seasonality , due to climatic hazards. Traditionally,

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1232-627: The Franco-Spanish border dates back to the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees between the kingdoms of Spain and France in 1659. This was followed by the Treaty of Llivia the following year, which transferred to France the sovereignty of several villages in the valley of Querol . Later there were some further agreements covering specific areas: The final definition, which for the most part

1288-493: The Grand Barachois Lagoon of Miquelon. Every spring, whales migrating to Greenland are visible off the coasts of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Trilobite fossils have been found on Langlade. The stone pillars off the island coasts called "L'anse aux Soldats" eroded away and disappeared in the 1970s. The rocky islands are barren, except for scrubby yews and junipers and thin volcanic soil. The forest cover of

1344-545: The United States, Charles de Gaulle 's forces seized the archipelago from Vichy France , to which the local administrator had pledged its allegiance, in December 1941. In referendums on both islands, the population endorsed the takeover by Free France by over 98%. The colony became a French Overseas Territory in 1946. After the 1958 French constitutional referendum , the territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon

1400-532: The border , so Miquelon may have been influenced by the Spanish name Miguelón , an augmentative form of Miguel meaning "big Michael". The adjoined island's name of " Langlade " is said to be an adaptation of l'île à l'Anglais (Englishman's Island). Archaeological evidence indicates that Indigenous peoples, such as the Beothuk , visited St Pierre and Miquelon. However, it is not thought that they settled on

1456-677: The border: Spain has an exclave in France, Llívia , in the Pyrénées-Orientales . Near the western end of the border, following the course of the river Bidasoa , Pheasant Island (located in the middle of the river) has an unusual border regime: the island is a condominium whose sovereignty is shared between the two countries: one country in January–June each year, and the other country in July–December. The formal layout of

1512-596: The closeness of the fourth-and fifth-warmest months to having mean temperatures at or above 10 °C (50 °F). Typical maritime seasonal lag is also strong with September being warmer than June and March being colder than December. The average temperature is 5.3 °C (41.5 °F), with a temperature range of 19 °C (66 °F) between the warmest (15.7 °C (60.3 °F) in August) and coldest months (−3.6 °C (25.5 °F) in February). Precipitation

1568-437: The colony toyed with the idea of joining the United States, but in the end nothing came of the idea. During the early 1910s, the colony suffered severely as a result of unprofitable fisheries, and large numbers of its people emigrated to Nova Scotia and Quebec . The draft imposed on all male inhabitants of conscript age after the beginning of World War I in 1914 crippled the fisheries, as their catch could not be processed by

1624-410: The confluence of three climatic types. The February mean is just below the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm for that classification. Due to just three months being above 10 °C (50 °F) in mean temperatures and winter lows being so mild, Saint Pierre and Miquelon has a Köppen Climate Classification of Dfc , if bordering on Cfc due to the mildness of the winter and either Dfb or Cfb due to

1680-450: The construction industry and public works. Fish farming, crab fishing and agriculture are being developed to diversify the local economy. The future of Saint Pierre and Miquelon rests on tourism, fisheries and aquaculture . Explorations are under way to exploit deposits of oil and gas. Tourism benefits from the proximity to similar tourist areas of Canada. Distribution, public service, care, minor wholesale, retail and crafts are notable in

1736-562: The construction of the road linking the Roncal Valley with Arette , a mutual transfer of land of 2710 m (29,170 sq ft) was agreed. In 1995, with the entry into force of the Schengen Agreement , border controls for people and goods were abolished, thus ensuring freedom of movement across the border. Following the provisions of the treaties of Bayonne, the border is physically marked on the ground by 602 cairns showing

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1792-471: The hard landscape. The islands, like Newfoundland, are geologically part of the northeastern end of the Appalachian Mountains . Miquelon-Langlade , the largest island, is in fact composed of two islands; Miquelon Island (also called Grande Miquelon , 110 km or 42 sq mi) is connected to Langlade Island ( Petite Miquelon , 91 km or 35 sq mi) by

1848-488: The hills, except in parts of Langlade, had been removed for fuel long ago. In spite of being located at a similar latitude to the Bay of Biscay , the archipelago is characterized by a cold borderline humid continental / subarctic climate , under the influence of polar air masses and the cold Labrador Current . The mild winters for being a subarctic climate also means it has influences of subpolar oceanic climate , thus being at

1904-426: The inhabitants suspended all outdoor activities (construction, agriculture, etc.) between December and April. In 1999, the unemployment rate was 12.8%, and a third of the employed worked in the public sector. The employment situation was worsened by the complete cessation of deep-sea fishing, the traditional occupation of the islanders, as the unemployment rate in 1990 was lower at 9.5%. The unemployment for 2010 shows

1960-473: The institution of Prohibition in the United States from January 1920. In 1931, the archipelago was reported by The New York Times to have imported 1,815,271 U.S. gallons (1,511,529 imperial gallons ; 6,871,550 liters ) of whisky from Canada in 12 months, most of it to be smuggled into the United States. The end of Prohibition in 1933 plunged the islands once more into economic depression. During World War II , despite opposition from Canada, Britain, and

2016-526: The islands at the March 2016 census was 6,008, of which 5,412 lived in Saint-Pierre and 596 in Miquelon-Langlade . At the time of the 1999 census, 76% of the population was born on the archipelago, while 16.1% were born in metropolitan France, a sharp increase from the 10.2% in 1990. In the same census, less than 1% of the population reported being a foreign national. The archipelago has

2072-666: The islands permanently. On 21 October 1520, the Portuguese explorer João Álvares Fagundes landed on the islands and named the St. Pierre island group the ' Eleven Thousand Virgins ' ( Portuguese : ilhas das Onze Mil Virgens ), as the day marked the feast day of St. Ursula and her virgin companions. In 1536 Jacques Cartier claimed the islands as a French possession on behalf of the King of France, Francis I . Though already frequented by Mi'kmaq people and by Basque and Breton fishermen,

2128-494: The islands were not permanently settled until the end of the 17th century: four permanent inhabitants were counted in 1670, and 22 in 1691. In 1670, during Jean Talon 's second tenure as Intendant of New France , a French officer annexed the islands after he discovered a dozen fishermen from France encamped there, naming them Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. During King William's War and Queen Anne's War , English forces launched multiple attacks against French colonial settlements on

2184-516: The islands, and by the early 18th century the colonists had abandoned Saint-Pierre and Miquelon altogether. In the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht , which ended the War of the Spanish Succession , France ceded the islands to Britain . The British renamed the island of Saint-Pierre to Saint Peter, and small numbers of colonists from Great Britain and Britain's American colonies began to settle on

2240-665: The islands. Under the terms of the 1763 Treaty of Paris , which put an end to the Seven Years' War , France ceded all its North American possessions to Britain, though the British granted fishing rights to French fishermen along the Newfoundland coast, and as part of that arrangement returned Saint-Pierre and Miquelon to France's control. After France entered the American Revolutionary War on

2296-706: The local church until it was merged into the Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes in 2018. Every summer there is a Basque Festival, which has demonstrations of harri-jasotzaileak (stone heaving), aizkolaritza (lumberjack skills), and Basque pelota (more widely known in the Americas as frontón / jai alai ). The local cuisine is mostly based on seafood such as lobster, snow crab, mussels, and especially cod. France%E2%80%93Spain border The Franco-Spanish border runs for 656.3 kilometres (407.8 mi) between southwestern France and northeastern Spain. It begins in

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2352-483: The maritime boundaries between Canada and the islands, but did not demarcate the continental shelf . Located off the western end of the Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula , the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon comprises eight islands, totalling 242 square kilometres (93 sq mi), of which only two are inhabited. The islands are bare and rocky, with steep coasts, and only a thin layer of peat to soften

2408-411: The north of Miquelon Island is the village of Miquelon-Langlade (710 inhabitants), while Langlade Island is almost deserted (only one inhabitant in the 1999 census). Saint Pierre Island , whose area is smaller, 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi), is the most populous and the commercial and administrative center of the archipelago. Saint-Pierre Airport has been in operation since 1999 and

2464-499: The northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador . An archipelago of eight islands, St. Pierre and Miquelon is a vestige of the once-vast territory of New France . Its residents are French citizens. The collectivity elects its own deputy to the National Assembly and participates in senatorial and presidential elections. It covers 242 km (93 sq mi) of land and had

2520-414: The now uninhabited islands, in which all structures and buildings had been destroyed or fallen into disrepair. The islands were resettled in 1816. The settlers, mostly Basques, Bretons and Normans , were joined by various other peoples, particularly from the nearby island of Newfoundland. Only around the middle of the century did increased fishing bring a certain prosperity to the little colony. In 1903,

2576-464: The older men or the women and children. About 400 men from the colony served in the French military during World War I (1914–1918), 25% of whom died. The increase in the adoption of steam trawlers in the fisheries also contributed to the reduction in employment opportunities. Smuggling had always been an important economic activity in the islands, but it became especially prominent in the 1920s with

2632-460: The ones found in metropolitan France. The French spoken on the archipelago is closer to Metropolitan French than to Canadian French and maintains a number of unique features. Basque , formerly spoken in private settings by people of Basque ancestry, had disappeared from the islands by the late 1950s. The population is overwhelmingly Christian, with the majority being Catholic. The Vicariate Apostolic of Iles Saint-Pierre and Miquelon managed

2688-592: The overseas territories that used the French franc and later the euro on behalf of the Bank of France , has had an agency in Saint Pierre since 1978. Most businesses accept Canadian dollars (CAD), at a rate below the interbank exchange rate; prices in euros and change would be given in that currency. The islands have issued their own stamps from 1885 to the present, except for a period between 1 April 1978 and 3 February 1986 when French stamps not specific to Saint Pierre and Miquelon were used. The total population of

2744-511: The potential oil reserves, cod fishing rights on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland were at stake in the dispute. In the late 1980s, indications of declining fish stocks began to raise serious concern over the depletion of the fishery. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 square kilometres (4,768 sq mi) to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The 1992 decision fixed

2800-653: The prefect has been Bruno André. The local legislative body, the Territorial Council (French: Conseil territorial ), has 19 members: four councillors from Miquelon-Langlade and 15 from Saint-Pierre. The President of the Territorial Council is the head of a delegation of "France in the name of Saint Pierre and Miquelon" for international events such as the annual meetings of NAFO and ICCAT . On 10 January 2022, Saint Pierre and Miquelon made international news when MP Stéphane Claireaux ,

2856-628: The side of the United States and declared war on Britain, a British force invaded Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and briefly occupied them, destroying all colonial settlements on the islands and deporting 2,000 colonists back to France. In 1793, during the French Revolutionary Wars , another British force landed in Saint-Pierre and, in the following year, again deported the French colonial population, and tried to establish

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2912-654: The small country interrupts the border between Spain and France for 63.7 kilometres (39.6 mi) on the Spanish side and 56 kilometres (35 mi) on the French side. Then the border continues eastward ( 42°30′09″N 01°43′34″E  /  42.50250°N 1.72611°E  / 42.50250; 1.72611 ) to the Mediterranean Sea at Cerbère in France and Portbou in Spain ( 42°26′09″N 03°10′26″E  /  42.43583°N 3.17389°E  / 42.43583; 3.17389 ). From west to east, crossing

2968-481: The spring to early summer. The economy of the islands, due to their location, has been dependent on fishing and servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland . The economy has been declining, however, due to disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a decline in the number of ships stopping at the islands. In 1992 an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 square kilometres (4,768 sq mi) to settle

3024-478: The west on the Bay of Biscay at the French city of Hendaye and the Spanish city of Irun ( 43°22′32″N 01°47′31″W  /  43.37556°N 1.79194°W  / 43.37556; -1.79194 ). The border continues eastward along the Pyrenees to the sovereign nation of Andorra ( 42°36′13″N 1°26′30″E  /  42.60361°N 1.44167°E  / 42.60361; 1.44167 ). At this point,

3080-496: Was asked to choose one of three options: becoming fully integrated with France, becoming a self-governing state within the French Community , or preserving the status of an overseas territory; it decided to remain a territory. The archipelago became an overseas territory in 1946, then an overseas department on 19 July 1976, before it acquired the status of territorial collectivity on 11 June 1985, thus withdrawing from

3136-577: Was colonized by Europeans. The current population is the result of inflows of settlers from the French ports, mostly Normans , Basques , Bretons and Saintongeais , and also from the historic area of Acadia in Canada ( Gaspé Peninsula , parts of New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton ) as well as Francophones who settled on the Port au Port Peninsula on Newfoundland. The inhabitants speak French; their customs and traditions are similar to

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