Miquelon-Langlade is the larger but less populated of the two

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...

(municipalities) making up the French

overseas collectivity The French overseas collectivities (''collectivité d'outre-mer'' or ''COM'') are first-order administrative divisions of France, like the French regions, but have a semi-autonomous status. The COMs include some former French overseas colonies ...

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon (), officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (french: link=no, Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon ), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in t ...

, located to the south of Newfoundland in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It consists of three geological islands: Miquelon, Langlade and Le Cap, connected with

tombolo A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. A tombolo, from the Italian ', meaning 'pillow' or 'cushion', and sometimes translated incorrectly as ''ayre'' (an ayre is a shingle beach of any kind), is a deposition landform by which an island becom ...

s. The communal seat is the settlement of Miquelon, on the northern tip, where the entire island's permanent population of 580 (as of 2019) is located.

Miquelon Airport Miquelon Airport (french: Aéroport de Miquelon) is a regional airport on Miquelon Island that the commune (municipality) of Miquelon-Langlade, in the French overseas community (''collectivité d'outre-mer'') of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, off ...

provides flights to Montreal and to nearby Saint-Pierre.

Geography

Located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, west of Newfoundland's

Burin Peninsula The Burin Peninsula ( ) is a peninsula located on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Marystown is the largest population centre on the peninsula.Statistics Canada. 2017. Marystown, T ensu ...

, Miquelon-Langlade covers a total land area of . It comprises three islands connected by

s: Le Cap in the north, Miquelon (''Grand Miquelon'') in the center, and Langlade (''Petite Miquelon'') in the south. On the south of the Miquelon Island is a large

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...

known as the Grand Barachois which is host to a large population of

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

s and other wildlife. Miquelon is also a well known destination for bird watching. An long

sandspit called ''La Dune'' connects Miquelon and Langlade. In the eighteenth century it was still possible to sail a boat between Miquelon and Langlade, but by the end of that century La Dune had closed in to form an

isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmus ...

between the islands. Located at west of

Saint Pierre Island In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

, Langlade is an ancient

peneplain 390px, Sketch of a hypothetical peneplain formation after an orogeny. In geomorphology and geology, a peneplain is a low-relief plain formed by protracted erosion. This is the definition in the broadest of terms, albeit with frequency the usage ...

drained by numerous short rivers, including the Belle, the largest, which flows to the northwest. The coast of Langlade is lined with steep cliffs, except to the northwest.

Climate

Köppen–Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as

sub-Arctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Generally, ...

(Dfc). Summers are mild while winters are cold. It receives precipitation all year.

Etymology

The name Miquelon is of

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

origin and means "Michael", as several fishermen with this name were established in the island. In 1579, the names ''Micquetõ'', ''Micquelle'' appeared for the first time in Martin de Hoyarçabal's navigational pilot. The name evolved over time into ''Miclon'', ''Micklon'', and finally ''Miquelon''.

Demographics

The capital of the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

, Miquelon, is located on the north, along a tombolo that connects the formerly separate island of Le Cap with the northwestern part of Miquelon Island. It lies north of a shallow lagoon (

barachois A barachois is a term used in Atlantic Canada, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Réunion and Mauritius Island to describe a coastal lagoon partially or totally separated from the ocean by a sand or shingle bar. Sometimes the bar is constructed of boul ...

) and has a small harbour protected with constructed breakwaters along the eastern side of the isthmus. On the northern coast of Langlade, there are settlements in coves of Anse du Gouvernement, Anse aux Soldats and Le Ruisseau Debons, consisting mainly of holiday cottages. The population of Miquelon-Langlade is mainly of

and Acadian ancestry.

Transportation

Miquelon can be reached by boat or by plane from Saint Pierre and is served by

which is located adjacent to the settlement of Miquelon. The airport is served by

Air Saint-Pierre Air Saint-Pierre is a French airline based in Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French overseas collectivity. The airline operates scheduled services between the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon-Langlade and to Canada. Its main base ...

with flights both to

Saint-Pierre Airport Saint-Pierre Airport (french: Aéroport de Saint-Pierre) is a regional airport located south of Saint-Pierre, in the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, off the east coast of Canada near Newfoundland. Overview The ...

and Canada. The main asphalt road runs from the capital along the eastern coast of Miquelon, across the Langlade tombolo and ending in Le Ruisseau Debons on Langlade. A ferry service connects the capital town with Anse du Gouvernement on Langlade in summer months.

Facilities

There is a school facility on the island, Ecole du socle de Miquelon. It houses the private contracted nursery school / preschool Soeur Hilarion, the public elementary school Les Quatre Temps, and the public junior high school Collège de Miquelon. As of the 2014–2015 school year the junior high school had 25 students.Ecole du socle de Miquelon >Présentation
" National Education Service of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Retrieved on September 14, 2016. The government high school / sixth-form programmes serving Miquelon are at Lycée-Collège d'État Émile Letournel on Saint-Pierre island. The Centre Médical de Miquelon has basic medical care facilities for residents, while more advanced services are available on Saint Pierre as well as in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

References

External links

Le Phare: Association of Tourism Professionals

Local Airline Air Saint-Pierre

{{Authority control Communes of Saint Pierre and Miquelon