The flag of Saint Pierre and Miquelon belongs to a French overseas collectivity sitting off the eastern coast of Canada, and it borrows from the several places its settlers came from.
Adopted in 1982
Local authorities adopted the flag in 1982. Until then the islands used the French tricolor, in keeping with their status within the French Republic.
Europeans first explored the region in the early 16th century, and governance passed back and forth between France and Britain more than once. The 1982 design came out of a local wish to say something specific about the islands while staying French, and its adoption was a claim to cultural distinctiveness rather than to independence.
Cartier's ship and the settlers' flags
The main field is blue, with a yellow ship on it: La Grande Hermine, the vessel Jacques Cartier used on his 1535 expedition to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The blue stands for the Atlantic, which governs almost everything about life on the islands, and the ship for exploration, navigation, and the fishing industry that kept the place going for centuries.
Along the hoist runs a vertical stripe carrying the flags of the Basque Country, Brittany, and Normandy. These mark the origins of many of the islanders. The Basque flag acknowledges the Basque fishermen who worked these waters, while the Breton and Norman flags stand for settlers from those regions of France.
Where it flies
The flag is displayed on government buildings and flown at official events, usually alongside the flag of France. Protocol covers when it goes up, including public holidays and occasions tied to the islands' own identity, and it also appears at cultural and sporting events. Community groups and cultural organizations use it in their own activities.
For residents the flag is mostly a reminder of where the islands came from: European settlement on a North American shore, and a livelihood built on fishing and navigation.
Similar flags and influences
The obvious connections are to the Basque Country, Brittany, and Normandy, whose flags sit in the hoist stripe. Beyond that, French vexillological habits shape the design. A blue field standing for water is common in maritime flags, and the use of regional stripes fits a wider French pattern of marking local identities inside a single national frame.
References
[1] Government of Saint Pierre and Miquelon: History and Culture (https://www.collectivitesaintpierre.mi)
[2] FIAV: Saint Pierre and Miquelon Flag Information (https://flagspot.net/flags/pm.html)