Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (/ˈmɪkəlɒn/ MIK-ə-lon),[4] is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.[8] The tiny Canadian Green Island lies 10 kilometres (5+1⁄2 nmi) east of Saint Pierre, roughly halfway to Point May.[citation needed] 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.[21] 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.[22] 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 the older men or the women and children.[26] During World War II, despite opposition from Canada, Britain,[27] and 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.[34] Saint Pierre and Miquelon sends a senator and a deputy to the National Assembly of France in Paris and enjoys a degree of autonomy concerning taxes, customs, and excise.[26] The prefect is in charge of national interests, law enforcement, public order, and, under the conditions set by the statute of 1985, administrative control.[33][5] 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.[33] On 10 January 2022, Saint Pierre and Miquelon made international news when MP Stéphane Claireaux, a member of the governing La République en Marche![38] Law enforcement in Saint Pierre and Miquelon is the responsibility of a branch of the French Gendarmerie Nationale; there are two police stations in the archipelago.[40] In addition to the potential oil reserves, cod fishing rights on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland were at stake in the dispute.[40] 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.[41] 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.[5] 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.[15] 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.[53] 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 percent of what France had sought.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 the growing season to a few weeks, and the soil contains significant peat and clay and is largely infertile).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%.CFA banknotes issued by the Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer stamped with the text "Saint Pierre et Miquelon".[15] 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.[15] Ruins show that Indigenous American people visited the archipelago on fishing and hunting expeditions before it was colonized by Europeans.[34] The Vicariate Apostolic of Iles Saint-Pierre and Miquelon managed the local church until it was merged into the Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes in 2018.[78] Joseph Néel was convicted of killing Mr Coupard on Île aux Chiens on 30 December 1888, and subsequently executed by guillotine on 24 August 1889.In the past from 2005 to 2009, Atlantic Jet provided a ferry service to the islands from Canada,[92] operated privately by SPM Express SA.In addition, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon 1ère was carried on Shaw Direct satellite and most digital cable services in Canada, converted to NTSC.Amateurs collect (records of) contacts with these stations for Islands on the Air and DX Century Club awards; the Atlantic coast gives great takeoff for shortwaves.[citation needed] A few kilometres away is Signal Hill, St. John's which first communicated across the Atlantic, namely with Marconi's Poldhu Wireless Station in England.Fire stations: Most are second-hand units from North America but[113] St Pierre acquired an aerial ladder from France in 2016.
Saint Pierre IslandMiquelon IslandFrenchOverseas collectivity of FranceCoat of armsLa MarseillaiseSovereign stateFranceCession fromUnited KingdomSaint-PierreDemonym(s)GovernmentDevolvedPresident of FranceEmmanuel MacronPrefectPresident of the Territorial CouncilBernard BriandTerritorial CouncilFrench ParliamentSenate1 senatorNational Assembly1 seatPopulationnot rankedCanadian dollarTime zoneDriving sideCalling codeINSEE codeISO 3166 codeInternet TLDoverseas collectivityCanadianNewfoundland and LabradorarchipelagoSt. PierreMiquelonNew FranceGulf of St. LawrenceFortune BayNewfoundlandGrand Banks of NewfoundlandPoint MayBurin PeninsulaMetropolitan FranceGreen IslandSaint Peterpatron saintMartin de HoyarçabalLes voyages aventureux du Capitaine Martin de Hoyarsabal, habitant du çubiburuBasqueBasque Countrythe borderLangladeHistory of Saint Pierre and MiquelonBeothukJoão Álvares FagundesEleven Thousand VirginsPortugueseSt. UrsulaJacques CartierFrancis IMi'kmaq peopleJean TalonIntendant of New FranceKing William's WarQueen Anne's WarEnglishTreaty of UtrechtWar of the Spanish SuccessionBritainGreat BritainBritain's American colonies1763 Treaty of ParisSeven Years' WarNorth American possessionsfishing rightsenteredAmerican Revolutionary WarUnited StatesFrench Revolutionary WarsFrench NavyTreaty of AmiensTreaty of ParisHundred DaysNormansNova ScotiaQuebecWorld War IFrench militarytrawlersProhibition in the United Statesimperial gallonslitersWorld War IICharles de Gaulleseized the archipelagoVichy FranceFree FranceFrench Overseas Territory1958 French constitutional referendumFrench Communityoverseas departmentterritorial collectivityEuropean CommunitiesPolitics of Saint Pierre and MiqueloncommunesMiquelon-LangladeIsle-aux-MarinsFrench citizenshipdeputyNational Assembly of Franceprefect of Saint Pierre and MiquelonStéphane ClaireauxLa République en Marche!Law enforcement in Saint Pierre and MiquelonGendarmerie NationaleCanada–France Maritime Boundary Caseexclusive economic zoneLieutenant de vaisseau Le Hénaffcod fishingcontinental shelfGeography of Saint Pierre and Miquelon