Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon) are a group of small islands off the eastern coast of Canada near Newfoundland, the main ones being Saint Pierre and Miquelon islands.

Those islands are part of France and form the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French: Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon), an overseas collectivity of France. They are the only remnant of the former colonial territory of New France.

EU nationals are not allowed to exercise their Amsterdam Treaty rights to free movement and business establishment in the archipelago since this part of France is part of a common travel area with Canada, USA and Greenland.

1 History
- 1.1 Highlights
- 1.2 Historical summary
2 Politics
3 Administrative divisions
4 Geography and environment
5 Economy
6 Demography
7 Culture
8 Military
9 Transportation
10 Time zone
11 Notables
12 See also
13 Notes and references
14 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Miquelon and St. Pierre were settled very early by Europeans taking advantage of the rich fishing grounds, and characterized by periods of conflict between the French and English.

[edit] Highlights

The French have fished near the islands for about 470 years.
France and Britain fought and traded the islands back and forth for about 100 years, associated with various wars and the American and French Revolutions.
France took the islands back after Napoleon abdicated and a fishing boom followed for a few decades.
After the late 1800s, fishing went into decline.
Alcohol smuggling boomed during U.S. Prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s.
The islands fell under the Vichy government and then were liberated by the Free French.
Fishing continued to decline after the war so the islands are trying to diversify their economy.

[edit] Historical summary

There is evidence of prehistoric native inhabitation on the islands. The European settlements on the islands are some of the oldest in the Americas, dating from at least the early 1500s. At first the Basque fishermen only visited the islands seasonally during the fishing season, and by the mid 1600s there were permanent French residents on the islands.

At the end of the 1600s and into the early 1700s, 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 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 1800s.

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 end 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 the Vichy propaganda. It was alleged that the radio was helping German U-Boats on the Grand Banks, though this was never proven. Canadian prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King never authorised the implementation of the plans.

Under orders of 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 the 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.

[edit] 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.

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.

[edit] Administrative divisions

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

[edit] 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 93.4 square miles (242 km²). They have a coastline which is 74.5 miles (120 km) long.

The island of Miquelon is roughly 15.8 miles from the coast of Newfoundland at their closest points. However, there is a small island with a lighthouse belonging to Newfoundland called Green Island that is between Langlade and St. Pierre and Newfoundland at 46°53′N 56°05′W, about 10 kilometers from Langlade and St. Pierre.^[1]

The island of Miquelon is separated from St. Pierre by a 6 kilometer 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.^[2] Miquelon has a lagoon called Grand Barachois, where seals and other wildlife can be found.

The term 'Miquelon' is Basque for "Michael". The island name 'Langlade' is a corruption of 'l'île à l'Anglais' (which is translated as English Island). Saint-Pierre is the Patron Saint of Fishermen (along with St. Andrew, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Benno, St. Nicholas of Myra, St. Zeno of Verona.^[3])

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.^[4]

[edit] 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.

Except for two coins issued in 1948, the islanders have used French currency, and now use 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.

[edit] Demography

Main article: Demographics of Saint Pierre and 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,^[5] died in July 2006. Langlade is a summer retreat for many inhabitants of Saint-Pierre, when its population can swell up to 1000.

[edit] Culture

French is the official language of the islands, but the accent and many of the words used are similar to the language of Normandy.

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. 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 Miquelon and St. Pierre. 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 1800s. Joseph Néel was convicted of killing a Mr. Coupard on the "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 the year 2000. The guillotine is now in a museum in Saint-Pierre.

[edit] Military

Further information: Military of France

Defense is the responsibility of France.

[edit] Transportation

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon has no railway and 114 km of highways (plus 45 km of unpaved roads). Its only major harbour is Saint-Pierre. The dependency has no merchant marine and two airports, one with 1,524 to 2,437 m of paved runways and one with 914 and 1,523 m.

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.

[edit] 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 Brazil.

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

[edit] 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, a member of the French Naval Medical Corps, was assigned to the islands after being stationed in Hong Kong, and arrived in 1887, in time to witness the guillotine execution. He studied the codfish, and realised that a bacterium was responsible for their colour. In later work, he collaborated with veterinarian Camille Guérin to produce the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

^ http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/pierre_miquelon.html
^ http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/pierre_miquelon.html
^ http://www.catholic-forum.com/Saints/pst00290.htm
^ http://grandcolombier.com/2003-geographie/geologie/index.html
^ Charles Lafitte was widely known on the islands as "de Gaulle", and lived as a hermit on Langlade for many years with his dogs.

[edit] 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: Coordinates: 46°47′N 56°12′W.

v • d • e Overseas departments and territories of France
Overseas departments¹	French Guiana · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Réunion
Overseas collectivities	French Polynesia · Mayotte² · Saint Barthelemy · 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

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Dependencies
Denmark: Greenland · France: Guadeloupe · Martinique · Saint Barthelemy · 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

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