French President Visits St. Pierre et Miquelon
In the midst of his falling popularity poll numbers and rising unemployment rates, French President Francois Hollande visited the windswept islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon on the eve of Christmas. The rather improbable Yuletide stopover in this little morsel of France in the North Atlantic was an unusual piece of political choreography as viewed by many observers.
An Overseas territory of France, the 93 sq. mile islands remain the only remnant of what was once a vast French territory in North America. Situated just a stones throw from Newfoundland, Canada, the islands are inhabited by just over 6,000 citizens of the Republic.
St. Pierre and Miquelon have an economy based on fishing. Tourism has potential but the fog and poor weather often make connections difficult.
Perhaps Pere Noel felt comfortable here despite the cold rain. In the 2012 presidential elections, the region voted 65 percent for his Socialist party. While on the island, Hollande stressed ecological themes and equally the economic opportunities for this territory to share in Arctic development.
The islands, are approximately halfway between New York and Greenland.
Hollande was not the first French President to visit the remote islands; Charles de Gaulle, Francois Mitterrand, and Jacques Chirac also stopped over during their tenures.
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