Saint Pierre And Miquelon
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is an archipelago of eight small islands located just 25 kilometres off the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland's south coast, and it is the last remaining French territory in North America. With a population of approximately 6,000 people, Saint-Pierre is the main inhabited island and urban centre, while Miquelon-Langlade is a larger, more rural island to the north. The islan
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is an archipelago of eight small islands located just 25 kilometres off the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland's south coast, and it is the last remaining French territory in North America. With a population of approximately 6,000 people, Saint-Pierre is the main inhabited island and urban centre, while Miquelon-Langlade is a larger, more rural island to the north. The islands have been French since 1763 and remained under French sovereignty even after France ceded the rest of New France to Britain following the Seven Years' War — kept specifically to provide French fishermen with a base for fishing the Grand Banks. The islands use the euro, operate under French law, and are an actual French collectivity — residents are French citizens, the islands have representation in the French parliament, and French government systems apply. The architecture, food culture, and atmosphere are distinctly French, with boulangeries, wine shops, French cars with French license plates, and French administrative buildings. During American Prohibition, Saint-Pierre was a major alcohol transshipment hub, with Al Capone and other bootleggers using the islands to store and move liquor to the United States. Today the islands are a popular day-trip and overnight destination for Newfoundlanders and tourists seeking the experience of France without crossing the Atlantic. The ferry from Fortune, Newfoundland, operates seasonally. Cultural and family ties between Saint-Pierre residents and Newfoundlanders on the Burin Peninsula are deep and longstanding.
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