they did colonise some pretty weird spots though.. i mean. mali and new caledonia? eeexcellent fucking choice there, boys. one's mostly desert, the other is an island surrounded by the 2nd biggest coral reef in the world.
i have to have some respect for the french though, because the first girl i kissed was a french melanesian girl...oowee. but at the same time, the only terrorist attack on new zealand- hell , the only attack on new zealand by anyone- was the french blowing up a Greenpeace ship in the 80s. and they continued nuclear testing in the south pacific until the mid 90s, along with *cough* you guys... eh. mon dieu