French Tanks and Colonial Empires

After finding these old toy tanks in a Paris flea market, it left me wondering just what are some French invasions that have taken place over history. Seems of late that it's the Americans who favor invading foreign lands, but there was a more recent time when the French did. The French ruled all around the world at one time or another, including over here in the United States (okay, you probably already knew that!).

But it's interesting to see where all those French tanks were at one time or another.

There are a couple of typically French things that I've noticed in France's former colonies.

1. They still serve croissants in these areas, piping hot out of the oven and buttery as ever.
2. French colonial architecture can be found in abundant supply.
3. In some areas, French is still spoken. They spoke French in Merrakech, Morocco.