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Background:
|
 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. |
|
Location:
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Northern
North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of
Newfoundland (Canada) |
|
Geographic coordinates:
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46 50
N, 56 20 W |
|
Map references:
|
North
America |
|
Area:
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total:
242 sq km
note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre
and the Miquelon groups
water: 0 sq km
land: 242 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
1.5
times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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120
km |
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Climate:
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cold
and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy |
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Terrain:
|
mostly
barren rock |
|
Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish,
deepwater ports |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 13.04%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 86.96% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq
km |
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Natural hazards:
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persistent
fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard |
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Environment - current issues:
|
recent
test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and
Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the
environment |
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Geography - note:
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vegetation
scanty |
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Population:
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6,995 (July 2004
est.) |
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Age structure:
|
0-14 years:
24.6% (male 878; female 840)
15-64 years: 64.9% (male 2,316; female 2,227)
65 years and over: 10.5% (male 323; female 411) (2004
est.) |
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Median age:
|
total:
33.3 years
male: 33 years
female: 33.6 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
|
0.26% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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14.15
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
|
6.72 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
|
-4.86 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
|
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total:
7.76 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 8.91 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 78.28 years
male: 75.97 years
female: 80.7 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
NA% |
|
Nationality:
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noun:
Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French |
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Ethnic groups:
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Basques and
Bretons (French fishermen) |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic
99% |
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Languages:
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French (official) |
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Literacy:
|
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1982 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and
Miquelon
conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon
local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et
Miquelon |
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Dependency status:
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self-governing
territorial collectivity of France |
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Government type:
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NA |
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Capital:
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Saint-Pierre |
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Administrative divisions:
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none (territorial
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 |
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Independence:
|
none (territorial
collectivity of France; has been under French control since
1763) |
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National holiday:
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Bastille Day, 14
July (1789) |
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Constitution:
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28 September 1958
(French Constitution) |
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Legal system:
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French law with
special adaptations for local conditions, such as housing and
taxation |
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Executive branch:
|
chief of
state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by Prefect Claude VALLEIX (since 9 October
2002)
elections: French president elected by popular vote for
a five-year term; election last held, first round - 21 April
2002, second round - 5 May 2002 (next to be held NA 2007);
prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the
French Ministry of Interior; president of the General Council
is elected by the members of the council
head of government: President of the General Council
Marc PLANTAGENEST (since NA)
cabinet: NA |
|
Legislative branch:
|
unicameral
General Council or Conseil General (19 seats - 15 from Saint
Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members are elected by popular
vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: elections last held 19 and 26 March 2000
(next to be held NA April 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - PS 12, PRG 2, UDF-RPR 5
note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the
French Senate; elections last held NA September 1995 (next to
be held NA September 2004); results - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - RPR 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also
elects 1 seat to the French National Assembly; elections last
held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002
(next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - UDF 1 |
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Judicial branch:
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Superior Tribunal
of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel |
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Political parties and leaders:
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PRG [leader NA];
Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR (now UMP) [leader NA];
Socialist Party or PS [leader NA]; Union pour la Democratie
Francaise or UDF [leader NA] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
none (territorial
collectivity of France) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
none (territorial
collectivity of France) |
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Economy - overview:
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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. The islands are heavily
subsidized by France to the great betterment of living
standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will
boost economic prospects. Recent test drilling for oil may
pave the way for development of the energy sector. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $48.3 million - supplemented by annual payments from
France of about $60 million (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
|
NA% |
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GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power
parity - $6,900 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
|
NA% (2000) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
2.1% (1991-96
average) |
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Labor force:
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3,261 (1999) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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fishing 18%,
industry (mainly fish-processing) 41%, services 41% (1996
est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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9.8% (1997) |
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Budget:
|
revenues:
$70 million
expenditures: $60 million, including capital
expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.) |
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Industries:
|
fish processing
and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism |
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Industrial production growth rate:
|
NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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42.03 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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39.08 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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600 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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vegetables;
poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish |
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Exports:
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$10 million
f.o.b. (2002) |
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Exports - commodities:
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fish and fish
products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox
and mink pelts |
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Exports - partners:
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US 30%, Zambia
30%, Ecuador 20%, France 10% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$106 million
f.o.b. (2002) |
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Imports - commodities:
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meat, clothing,
fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials |
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Imports - partners:
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Zambia 62.3%,
France 21.7%, Canada 13.2% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$NA (2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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approximately $60
million in annual grants from France |
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Currency:
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euro (EUR) |
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Currency code:
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EUR |
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Exchange rates:
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euros per US
dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.0626 (2001), 1.08540
(2000), 0.93863 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
|
4,800 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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0 (1994) |
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Telephone system:
|
general
assessment: adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 508; radiotelephone
communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth
station in French domestic satellite system |
|
Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 4,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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0 (there are,
however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs from France,
Canada, and the US) (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.pm |
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Internet users:
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NA |
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Railways:
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0 km |
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Highways:
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total:
114 km
paved: 69 km
unpaved: 45 km |
|
Waterways:
|
none |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Saint
Pierre |
|
Merchant marine:
|
none |
|
Airports:
|
2
(2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
|
total:
2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
|
Military - note:
|
defense is the
responsibility of France |
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Disputes - international:
|
none |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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