Saint-Pierre

▪ Martinique

      town and small port on the island of Martinique, in the West Indies. Founded in 1635 by French settlers, it was the island's commercial centre until May 8, 1902, when Mount Pelée (Pelée, Mount) erupted, killing all but one inhabitant, a prisoner in a strong underground jail cell; some 30,000 people died. Rebuilding has been limited, and many ruins remain. The town is now the centre of a sugar-producing area and has a geological laboratory and a volcanological museum. Pop. (2004 est.) 4,544.

▪ Saint Pierre and Miquelon

      port town on the eastern shore of Saint-Pierre island and capital of the French collectivité of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Settled by European fishermen in the 17th century, the town grew in the 19th century as a service and supply centre for the local fishing industry. Bootlegging brought brief prosperity to the town during the period of Prohibition (1920–33) in the United States. Saint-Pierre is serviced by an airport. Pop. (1990) 5,580.

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