Saint Pierre & Miquelon — books & literature

The story of Saint Pierre & Miquelon

Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a tiny archipelago of eight islands in the North Atlantic, just off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada , the last remaining piece of France's once-vast North American empire. French and Basque fishermen were already using its harbour when Jacques Cartier passed by in 1536, and France formally annexed the islands in 1670. For more than a century the archipelago changed hands repeatedly between France and Britain through a string of wars , ceded to Britain in 1713, returned to France in 1763, then burned and depopulated by British forces in 1778. The islands sat empty until France re-established a population in 1816, and they have remained French ever since. In the 1920s, Prohibition in the United States turned quiet Saint-Pierre into a booming smugglers' port for bootleg liquor, briefly making it one of the busiest harbours in the world. The archipelago became a French overseas territory in 1946 and has held the special status of overseas collectivity since 2003 , a small, proudly French outpost woven into North American life.

Timeline — key moments

1. 1536

   Jacques Cartier finds French and Basque fishing ships already using the harbour.

2. 1670

   France formally annexes the islands, naming them Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

3. 1713

   Treaty of Utrecht cedes the islands to Britain after years of conflict.

4. 1763

   Treaty of Paris returns the islands to France after the Seven Years' War.

5. 1778

   British forces burn French settlements and deport the population; islands left deserted.

6. 1816

   French possession restored and a resident population re-established.

7. 1920-1933

   US Prohibition turns Saint-Pierre into a major liquor-smuggling transshipment port.

8. 1941

   Free French Forces seize the islands from Vichy France (24 December).

9. 1946

   The colony becomes a French overseas territory.

10. 2003

    Saint Pierre and Miquelon becomes an overseas collectivity with special status.

Top 10 things to know about Saint Pierre & Miquelon

1. Saint Pierre and Miquelon is the last remaining piece of the once-vast New France in North America.
2. The archipelago sits just off Newfoundland, Canada, yet is legally and culturally part of France.
3. It is made up of eight islands; nearly everyone lives on Saint-Pierre, the smallest main island.
4. The euro is the official currency , the only euro-zone territory in North America.
5. During US Prohibition, Al Capone and bootlegger Bill McCoy ran smuggling operations through the islands.
6. French is the official language and the everyday language of daily life.
7. Time, phone codes, license plates, and postage all follow French/EU conventions, not Canadian ones.
8. The islands changed hands between France and Britain multiple times before settling permanently as French in 1816.
9. Fishing, especially cod, shaped the economy for centuries before quotas forced a shift toward tourism and crafts.
10. Residents elect a deputy and senator to the French National Assembly and Senate in Paris.

Famous people from Saint Pierre & Miquelon

Say it in Saint Pierre & Miquelon's language

Did you know?

• ★Saint Pierre and Miquelon uses the euro and French postal codes despite sitting just offshore from Canada.
• ★During Prohibition, the tiny port of Saint-Pierre reportedly moved more bootleg liquor than almost anywhere else in the world.
• ★The archipelago was left completely deserted for decades after British forces deported its population in 1778.

Saint Pierre & Miquelon culture

• Fishing heritage, especially cod, remains central to island identity even as the industry has shrunk.
• The islands blend Breton, Basque, and Norman French traditions carried over by generations of fishermen and settlers.
• French national holidays and Catholic feast days anchor the community calendar alongside local maritime festivals.
• Close ties with nearby Newfoundland shape daily life, trade, and travel despite the political border with Canada.

Why read Saint Pierre & Miquelon's books

Saint Pierre and Miquelon has inspired writers drawn to its maritime history, Prohibition-era smuggling tales, and Franco-Acadian heritage , a small archipelago with a story much larger than its size.