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France

The world's most-visited country by international tourists, and its top agricultural producer in the European Union. Mont Saint-Michel, an abbey perched on a tidal island off Normandy, is cut off from the mainland twice a day when Europe's highest tides sweep back in.

Mont Saint-Michel, a tidal island abbey off the coast of Normandy, France

Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy

Photo: Diliff, public domain

Blue, white and red: the tricolour dates to the French Revolution of 1789, combining the Bourbon monarchy's white with the blue and red of the Paris militia. One of the most widely imitated flag designs in the world.

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