Saint Pierre Island, also spelt as Saint-Pierre Island, is one of the three main islands of

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon ( ), officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canada, Canadian prov ...

. It contains the town of Saint-Pierre, which lies on the island's east coast and is the main population centre of the island group. It is part of an

overseas collectivity The French overseas collectivities ( abbreviated as 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 and other French ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and is located near the Canadian province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

Location

Saint Pierre Island is situated south of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

in the

Gulf of Saint Lawrence The Gulf of St. Lawrence is a gulf that fringes the shores of the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, in Canada, plus the islands Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, possessions of France, in ...

in the

North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

. Its distance north–south from Newfoundland is . The islands are even closer to the long

Burin Peninsula The Burin Peninsula ( ) is a peninsula located on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Marystown is the largest population centre on the peninsula.Statistics Canada. 201 ...

, which is situated just to the east. In addition, Green Island, which belongs to Newfoundland, is located about halfway between the southern part of Miquelon-Langlade and Newfoundland at , only from both Langlade and St. Pierre.

Geography

Several smaller islands lie off the coast of Saint Pierre, notably L'Île-aux-Marins and L'Île-aux-Vainqueurs, both to the east, and Grand Colombier, which lies off Saint Pierre's northernmost point. Saint Pierre and its neighbouring islands form the Saint-Pierre commune, one of two

communes 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 ...

in Saint Pierre and Miquelon (the other being Miquelon-Langlade). The island is accessible by ferry from

and has immigrations control for the country of

. St. Pierre is separated from Miquelon-Langlade by a strait with very fierce currents. Fishermen call this section of ocean "The Mouth of Hell". The waters around these islands are very treacherous, and there have been over 600 shipwrecks along the coasts of the islands. The terrain is also described as mostly barren rock. The highest point of the island is Le Trépied at high.

History

Colonial period

The Portuguese explorer

João Álvares Fagundes João Álvares Fagundes (born c. 1460, Kingdom of Portugal – died 1522, Kingdom of Portugal) was an explorer and ship owner from Viana do Castelo in Northern Portugal. He organized several expeditions to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia around 152 ...

is believed to have landed on the islands on 21 October 1520, naming them the ' Eleven Thousand Virgins' in honor of the feast day of

Saint Ursula Ursula (Latin for 'little she-bear') was a Romano-British virgin and martyr possibly of royal origin. She is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. Her feast day in the pre-1970 G ...

. French explorer

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...

claimed the islands for France in 1536, noting the presence of French and

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

fishing vessels. By the late 17th century, permanent French settlements had been established, with records indicating four inhabitants in 1670 and 22 by 1691. Throughout the 18th century, Saint Pierre and Miquelon were contested between

and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, changing hands multiple times due to various treaties and conflicts. The

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

in 1713 ceded the islands to Britain, but they were returned to France under the Treaty of Paris in 1763. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, British forces again seized the islands in 1778, deporting French settlers. The islands were returned to France in 1783, only to be captured again by the British in 1793 during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

. After several more exchanges, France permanently regained control in 1816.

19th and 20th century developments

In the 19th century, the islands' economy thrived on the cod fishing industry, serving as a base for French fishermen. However, the late 1800s saw a decline due to overfishing and competition. During the

Prohibition era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...

in the United States (1920–1933), Saint Pierre and Miquelon became a hub for alcohol smuggling, temporarily boosting the local economy. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the islands were under the control of

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

until December 1941, when

Free French Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

forces seized them, an action later endorsed by a local referendum. Post-war, the islands faced economic challenges due to the decline of the fishing industry. In 1946, Saint Pierre and Miquelon became overseas territory of France. They were designated as overseas departments in 1976 and later as a territorial collectivity in 1985, granting them a degree of administrative autonomy. Today, the islands maintain their French heritage while exploring economic diversification beyond fishing.

Demographics

The residents are known as ''Saint-Pierrais'' and are citizens of

. The population of the island in 2011 was 5,888 people and the population was mainly French and

Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...

Gallery

File:St. Pierre Beached Boats, France (near Newfoundland).jpg, St. Pierre beached boats File:View from Hilltop, St. Pierre (near Newfoundland, Canada).jpg, St. Pierre view from hilltop

References

{{reflist Islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon