Miquelon (french: Île Miquelon) also known as ', is one of the islands of the

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...

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 ...

, an

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 ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, south of the coast of Newfoundland. Miquelon is situated between Le Cap Island to the north and Langlade Island (also called ''Petite Miquelon'') to the south.

Toponymy

The name Miquelon purportedly derived from a

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 ...

nickname for " Michael" (''Mikel''). In 1579, the names Micquetõ and Micquelle appeared for the first time in French Basque mariner Martin de Hoyarçabal's

maritime pilot A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots are regarded as skilled profession ...

. The name evolved over time into Miclon, Micklon, and finally Miquelon (''Mikelune'' in Basque).

Geography

Miquelon's coastline includes numerous sand and pebble beaches enclosing lagoons, as well as high rocky cliffs standing up to on the east coast. Its geology consists of slightly metamorphosed post-

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya. T ...

volcanic rocks, mainly rhyolites with

breccia Breccia () is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or rocks cemented together by a fine-grained matrix. The word has its origins in the Italian language, in which it means "rubble". A breccia may have a variety of ...

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predo ...

s and

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

s. On the south of the Miquelon Island is the

Grand Barachois Grand Barachois is a large natural lagoon in Saint Pierre and Miquelon. It lies immediately south of Miquelon Island, and is formed largely by the 12 kilometre-long tombolo of La Dune. See also *Barachois A barachois is a term used in Atlantic ...

, a large lagoon 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. Miquelon is connected to Le Cap by a

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 ...

long and in places less than wide. To the south, Miquelon is connected to Langlade Island by a sandy

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 ...

that formed in the 18th century that is long and wide. The island 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 ...

is across a treacherous and foggy strait that fishermen named "The Mouth of Hell" (french: La Gueule de L'Enfer) that has been the site of more than 600 shipwrecks.

Climate

The climate is typical of the North Atlantic and the

Labrador Current The Labrador Current is a cold current in the North Atlantic Ocean which flows from the Arctic Ocean south along the coast of Labrador and passes around Newfoundland, continuing south along the east coast of Canada near Nova Scotia. Near Nova Scot ...

, with frequent storms and winds that exceed for nearly six months of the year. The summers are cool and foggy. The average annual temperature is .

Population

Miquelon includes 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 ...

of Miquelon-Langlade, with a population of 626 in 2012.

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 ...

serves the population via turboprop or small jet aircraft. The majority of the residents live in the town also called Miquelon, located in the north of the island near La Cap. The residents are known as ''Miquelonnais'' and are citizens of France.

Gallery

File:Miquelon shore.jpg, Miquelon shore File:Miquelon 9.jpg, The north coast of Miquelon, next to Le Cap File:Village de Miquelon.jpg, The village of Miquelon seen from the west File:Maison de Miquelon.jpg, House in the village File:Borne kilométrique à Miquelon.jpg, Milestone to Miquelon File:Port of saint-pierre, SPM.jpg, The port of Miquelon File:Monument acadien.jpg, Acadien monument

References

External links

* {{Authority control Saint Pierre and Miquelon Islands of the North Atlantic Ocean Islands of France