St Pierre & Miquelon, France

The tiny island of St-Pierre et Miquelon comprises a speck of French territory located in the middle of Atlantic Canada. St-Pierre was first settled by the French fishing fleet in the 1500s, and for some reason, the British never bothered claiming these islands during their colonial conquest of North America. The town of St-Pierre is the host to the seat of colonial government and maintains its truly French heritage. The architecture and the people exhibit the true flavor of France. A focal point of the town is the Hotel Robert which was constructed in the 1920s and was “home away from home” to Al Capone during the prohibition years. Saint-Pierre is the more populated of the two communes (municipalities) making up Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Until 1945, there existed a third commune in Saint Pierre and Miquelon: L'Île-aux-Marins. The commune of L'Île-aux-Marins was annexed by the commune of Saint-Pierre in 1945.