The Affairs of Pierre

Saint Pierre and Miquelon (, MEEK-ə-lon), officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French: Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon; pronounced [sɛ̃.pjɛ.ʁ‿e.mi.klɔ̃]), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located off the Canadian island of Newfoundland. Saint Pierre and Miquelon is an archipelago of eight islands, covering 242 km2 (93 sq mi) of land. It had an estimated population of 5,513 in 2026 and its residents are French citizens; they elect their own deputy to the National Assembly and participate in senatorial and presidential elections. Saint Pierre and Miquelon is an overseas country and territory (OCT) of the European Union, although not an integral part of it. It is neither part of the Schengen area, nor of the European customs territory. On the other hand, the euro is the official currency in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and its inhabitants have European Union citizenship. The territory is also part of the Regional Joint Cooperation Commission (Atlantic Canada Cooperation), the Halifax Search and Rescue Region and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. The islands are in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near the entrance of Fortune Bay, which extends into the southwestern coast of Newfoundland, near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. St. Pierre is 19 kilometres (10+1⁄2 nautical miles) from Point May on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland and 3,819 kilometres (2,373 mi) from Brest, the nearest city in Metropolitan France. The tiny Canadian Green Island lies 10 kilometres (5+1⁄2 nmi) east of Saint Pierre, roughly halfway to Point May.