# The World Factbook (1990)/St. Pierre and Miquelon

pages 268–269
​St. Pierre and Miquelon (territorial collectivity of France)
See regional map II
Geography
Total area: 242 km²; land area: 242 km²; includes eight small islands in the St. Pierre and the Miquelon groups
Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 120 km
Maritime claims:
    Contiguous zone: 12 nm
    Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
    Extended economic zone: 200 nm
    Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: focus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and France
Climate: cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy
Terrain: mostly barren rock
Natural resources: fish, deep-water ports
Land use: 13% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 4% forest and woodland; 83% other
Environment: vegetation scanty
Note: located 25 km south of Newfoundland, Canada, in the North Atlantic Ocean
People
Population: 6,330 (July 1990), growth rate 0.4% (1990)
Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: -6 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 79 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women); adjective—French
Ethnic divisions: originally Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)
Religion: 98% Roman Catholic
Language: French
Literacy: NA%, but compulsory education between 6 and 16 years of age
Labor force: 2,510 (1982)
Organized labor: Workers' Force trade union
Government
Long-form name: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Type: territorial collectivity of France
Capital: St. Pierre
Administrative divisions: none (territorial collectivity of France)
Independence: none (territorial collectivity of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French law
National holiday: National Day, 14 July
Executive branch: commissioner of the Republic
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council
Judicial branch: Superior Tribunal of Appeals (Tribunal Superieur d'Appel)
Leaders: Chief of State—President François MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government—Commissioner of the Republic Jean-Pierre MARQUIE (since February 1989); President of the General Council Marc PLANTEGENEST (since NA)
Political parties and leaders: Socialist Party (PS); Union for French Democracy (UDF/CDS), Gerard Grignon
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: General Council—last held September-October 1988 (next to be held September 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(19 total) Socialist and other left-wing parties 13, UDF and right-wing parties 6;
French President—last held 8 May 1988 (next to be held May 1995); results—(second ballot) Jacques Chirac 56%, François Mitterrand 44%;
French Senate—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(1 total) PS 1; French National Assembly—last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(1 total) UDF/CDS 1
Diplomatic representation: as a territorial collectivity of France, local interests are represented in the US by France
Flag: the flag of France is used
Economy
Overview: 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 the number of ships stopping at St. Pierre has steadily dropped over the years. In March 1989, an agreement between France and Canada set fish quotas for St. Pierre's trawlers fishing in Canadian and Canadian-claimed waters for three years. The agreement settles a longstanding dispute that had virtually brought fish exports to a halt. The islands are heavily subsidized by France. Imports come primarily from Canada.
GDP: $NA, per capita $2,495 (1984); real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: 13.3% (1987)
Budget: revenues $NA million; expenditures $13.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)
Exports: $23.3 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities—fish and fish products, fox and mink pelts; partners—US 58%, France 17%, UK 11%, Canada, Portugal
Imports: $50.3 million (c.i.f., 1986); commodities—meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials; partners—Canada, France, US, Netherlands, UK
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 10,000 kW capacity; 25 million kWh produced, 3,970 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: fishing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism
Agriculture: vegetables, cattle, sheep and pigs for local consumption; fish catch, 14,750 metric tons (1986)
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $477 million
Currency: French franc (plural—francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1—5.7598 (January 1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Highways: 120 km total; 60 kM paved (1985)
Ports: St. Pierre
Civil air: Air Saint-Pierre
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways, none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runway 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 3,601 telephones; stations—1 AM, 3 FM, no TV; radiotelecommunication with most countries in the world; 1 satellite earth station in French domestic system
Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of France