Summary: | The French archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon lies 24 km off the Canadian Island of Newfoundland. The census of 2001 recorded 6.300 inhabitants. The fact that it is situated on a margin, at the eastern extremity of the North American continent, makes it an insular space marked by its dependence on the home country, on the one hand, and its Canadian neighbour, on the other. In its relationship with the latter, two axes are considered and are treated from two approaches, a historical one and a multiscalar one:– the maritime border that separates France and Canada is a source of dispute which shows the difficulties of fitting the race to territorialize the sea by the States, to socioeconomic activities that cross borders (fishing and oil exploitation in this instance);– any political border is characterized by its ambivalence, demonstrating a system of openings and closures. It can be considered as an area of exchanges which are determined by the spatial proximity as well as by the political, institutional, economical, linguistic and cultural differences. Despite its small size and the small number of inhabitants, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, nevertheless, presents a great diversity in its relationships with Canada. Situé à 24 kilomètres de l’île canadienne de Terre-Neuve, l’archipel français de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon comptait environ 6 300 habitants au recensement de 2001. Sa situation périphérique, à l’extrême est du continent nord américain, conduit à le considérer comme un espace insulaire marqué par la dépendance d’une part à la métropole et d’autre part à son voisin canadien. Dans ses relations avec celui-ci, deux axes sont envisagés, traités selon une double approche, diachronique et multiscalaire :– La frontière maritime qui sépare la France et le Canada est l’objet de litiges qui mettent en évidence les difficultés d’adapter la course à la territorialisation de la mer par les États à des activités socio-économiques transfrontalières (pêche et exploitation d’hydrocarbures en l’occurrence) ;– Toute ...
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