Saint Pierre and Miquelon Location:
46°47'N, 56°12'W
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.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon Geography:
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 square miles). They have a coastline which is 120 km (74.5 miles) long.
The island of Miquelon is roughly 25 km (16 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.
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 Englishman's 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]
Saint Pierre and Miquelon People:
Population
- January 2006 census 6,125
- Density 25 /km2 (176th)
66 /sq mi
Saint Pierre and Miquelon Government:
Government Dependent territory
- President of France Nicolas Sarkozy
- President of the Territorial Council Stéphane Artano
- Prefect Yves Fauqueur
Saint Pierre and Miquelon Communication:
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; 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 Economy:
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.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon More Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Pierre_and_Miquelon | 
