"text":"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."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)"
},
"Geographic coordinates":{
"text":"46 50 N, 56 20 W"
},
"Map references":{
"text":"North America"
},
"Area":{
"total":{
"text":"242 sq km"
},
"land":{
"text":"242 sq km"
},
"water":{
"text":"0 sq km"
},
"note":{
"text":"includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups"
}
},
"Area - comparative":{
"text":"one and half times the size of Washington, DC"
},
"Land boundaries":{
"text":"0 km"
},
"Coastline":{
"text":"120 km"
},
"Maritime claims":{
"territorial sea":{
"text":"12 nm"
},
"exclusive economic zone":{
"text":"200 nm"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy"
"text":"UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
},
"daylight saving time":{
"text":"+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November"
}
},
"Administrative divisions":{
"text":"none (territorial overseas collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 2 communes at the second order - Saint Pierre, Miquelon"
},
"Independence":{
"text":"none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)"
"text":"President of Territorial Council Stephane ARTANO (since 21 February 2007)"
},
"cabinet":{
"text":"Le Cabinet du Prefet"
},
"elections/appointments":{
"text":"French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 6 May 2012 (next to be held in 2017); prefect appointed by French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior"
}
},
"Legislative branch":{
"description":{
"text":"unicameral Territorial Council or Conseil Territorial (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote to serve 6-year terms)"
"text":"Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 member to the French Senate; elections last held on 28 September 2014 (next to be held not later than September 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AD 1 (affiliated with UMP); Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 member to the French National Assembly; elections last held on 17 June 2012 (next to be held by June 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Ensemble pour l'Avenir 1 (affiliated with PRG)"
"text":"none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)"
},
"Diplomatic representation from the US":{
"text":"none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)"
},
"Flag description":{
"text":"a yellow three-masted sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a blue background with scattered, white, wavy lines under the ship; a continuous black-over-white wavy line divides the ship from the white wavy lines; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part (called ikkurina) is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the rectangle into four sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one above the other; these three heraldic arms represent settlement by colonists from the Basque Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy; the blue on the main portion of the flag symbolizes the Atlantic Ocean and the stylized ship represents the Grande Hermine in which Jacques Cartier \"discovered\" the islands in 1536",
"note":{
"text":"the flag of France used for official occasions"
}
},
"National symbol(s)":{
"text":"16th-century sailing ship"
},
"National anthem":{
"note":{
"text":"as a collectivity of France, \"La Marseillaise\" is official (see France)"
"text":"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. France heavily subsidizes the islands to the great betterment of living standards. ++ ++ The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. Fish farming, crab fishing, and agriculture are being developed to diversify the local economy. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way for development of the energy sector."
"text":"country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; satellite earth station - 1 in French domestic satellite system"
}
},
"Broadcast media":{
"text":"2 TV stations with a third repeater station, all part of the French Overseas Network; radio stations on St. Pierre and on Miquelon are part of the French Overseas Network (2007)"
