What is the small country in south-western Europe between France and Spain?
Andorra, a country with population 69,150 is in south-western Europe, between France and Spain.
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What was the battle of Normandy anyways?
The Battle of Normandy was the decisive battle of World War II fought in the summer of 1944 between the Allied nations and German forces. The Normandy Invasion, or D-Day, is the largest ocean-based invasions in history with nearly three million troops participating. The battle stretched from the English Channel to Normandy, France in German-occupied Western Europe.
Where did the Statue of Liberty come from?
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the US and was dedicated in New York Harbor in 1886.
How did the Louisiana Purchase change the size of the US?
In 1803 the US bought the Louisiana Territory from France for about $15 million. The deal roughly doubled the size of the country.
What is the most visited country in the world?
France is the most visited country in the world, drawing roughly 100 million international tourists a year.
Why was the Eiffel Tower built?
The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. It was originally meant to be temporary, and many Parisian artists hated it at first.
What is the most visited art museum in the world?
The Louvre in Paris is the world's most visited art museum. It is home to the Mona Lisa and was originally a royal palace.
Which country has the most time zones?
France has more time zones than any other country, 12 in all, because its overseas territories are scattered across the globe.
When was the first Tour de France held?
The first Tour de France bike race was held in 1903. A newspaper created it to boost its sales.
What event does France's national holiday on July 14 celebrate?
France's national holiday on July 14 marks the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, a key early moment of the French Revolution.
What is the highest mountain in the Alps?
Mont Blanc, on the border of France and Italy, is the highest mountain in the Alps at about 4,806 meters. Its exact height changes slightly with its ice cap.
Who invented pasteurization?
French scientist Louis Pasteur developed pasteurization in the 1860s, which kills harmful microbes by heating liquids like milk and wine.
When can a sparkling wine legally be called Champagne?
A sparkling wine can only legally be sold as "Champagne" if it is made in the Champagne region of France under strict production rules.
Where was the metric system created?
The metric system was created in France in the 1790s, during the French Revolution, to replace a confusing mix of local measurements.
How many countries border Germany?
Germany borders nine countries: Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
What does Cinco de Mayo commemorate?
Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day. It celebrates Mexico's victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, while Independence Day is September 16.
Where did the French Bulldog actually originate?
Despite the name, the French Bulldog's story starts in England, where lace workers in Nottingham kept toy-sized bulldogs. When many of those workers moved to France during the Industrial Revolution, they brought the dogs along, and the breed was refined into the Frenchie in France.
How did Rin Tin Tin become famous?
Rin Tin Tin was a German Shepherd puppy rescued from a bombed-out kennel in France during WWI by American soldier Lee Duncan. He became one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the 1920s, and his movies helped make the breed hugely popular in the US.
Where did the Poodle originate?
Even though the Poodle is the national dog of France, it actually originated in Germany. Its name comes from the German word "Pudel," related to splashing in water, because it was originally a duck-retrieving water dog.
What is the national dog of France?
The Poodle is the national dog of France, even though the breed actually comes from Germany.
Who invented French fries?
Belgium and France both claim to have invented French fries.
What were "freedom fries"?
In 2003, US House cafeterias renamed French fries "freedom fries" to protest France's opposition to the Iraq War.
Why was the Porsche 911 originally called the 901?
The Porsche 911 debuted in 1963 as the 901, but Porsche renamed it because Peugeot claimed the rights to three-digit car names with a zero in the middle.
What game did tennis come from?
Tennis developed from "jeu de paume," a French game where players hit the ball with the palm of their hand.
What does "Six Flags Over Texas" mean?
"Six Flags Over Texas" refers to the six countries that have ruled Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, and the United States.
Who gave the Statue of Liberty to the US?
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France and was dedicated in New York Harbor in 1886.
Where is Point Zéro in Paris?
Point Zéro, a bronze marker in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral, is the official spot from which all road distances in France are measured.
Was there ever a fake Paris?
During WWI, France began building a fake Paris outside the city with lights to trick German bomber pilots.
How was the modern strawberry created?
The modern garden strawberry was created in 1700s France by crossing Chilean and Virginian strawberries.
What is the Menton Lemon Festival?
The Menton Lemon Festival in France features huge sculptures made of lemons and oranges.
What happened at Lourdes?
In 1858, a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous reported visions of Mary at Lourdes, France, which became one of the world's most popular pilgrimage sites.
Was the hurdy-gurdy popular in the French court?
The hurdy-gurdy was fashionable at the French royal court in the 1700s.
Where did Leonardo da Vinci die?
Leonardo da Vinci died in France in 1519 after being invited there by King Francis I.
Where did Van Gogh paint "The Starry Night"?
Vincent van Gogh painted "The Starry Night" in 1889, based on the view from his window at an asylum in Saint-Rémy, France.
Where did Monet paint his water lilies?
Claude Monet painted water lilies in the garden he created at his home in Giverny, France.
Why did Monet donate his water lily murals?
Claude Monet donated his giant water lily murals to France as a monument to peace after World War I.
How did potatoes become popular in France?
French scientist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier helped make potatoes popular in France, reportedly by placing guards around his potato fields so people would think the crop was valuable and steal it.
When do Provence's lavender fields bloom?
The lavender fields of Provence, France, bloom in June and July.
What game did blackjack come from?
Blackjack descends from a game called "vingt-et-un," French for "twenty-one."
Where do the four suits come from?
The four suits used in most standard decks come from France.
Is Marie Curie buried in the Panthéon?
In 1995, Marie Curie became the first woman buried in the Panthéon in Paris for her own achievements.
Did France try to build the Panama Canal first?
France tried to build the Panama Canal in the 1880s but gave up after thousands of workers died, mostly from diseases like malaria and yellow fever.
When did the Channel Tunnel open?
The Channel Tunnel between England and France opened in 1994, and its 38-kilometer undersea section is the longest in the world.
When did the two sides of the Channel Tunnel meet?
British and French tunnel workers broke through to meet each other under the English Channel on December 1, 1990.
Where is the Large Hadron Collider?
The Large Hadron Collider sits underground on the border of France and Switzerland.
Who built the Suez Canal?
The Suez Canal was developed by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps.
What was the first self-propelled vehicle?
French engineer Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built a steam-powered vehicle in 1769, designed to haul cannons, and it's often called the first self-propelled road vehicle.
Who first flew an airplane across the English Channel?
French aviator Louis Blériot became the first person to fly an airplane across the English Channel in 1909.
When was the Pasteur Institute founded?
The Pasteur Institute was founded in Paris in 1887.
When was the first face transplant?
The first partial face transplant was performed in France in 2005.
When was the first hand transplant?
The first hand transplant was performed in France in 1998.
What is the most powerful MRI scanner?
France's Iseult MRI scanner produced its first images of the human brain in 2024.