Angela Merkel, Chancellor Of Germany(01 of19)
Open Image ModalAngela Merkel has been the Chancellor of Germany since November 22, 2005. The daughter of a pastor and a teacher, she was born in Hamburg, Germany on July 17, 1954. She studied physics at the University of Leipzig earning a doctorate degree in 1978, before entering politics in the wake of the revolutions of 1989. In 2007, she became president of the European Council and the second woman ever to chair the G8 (Margaret Thatcher was the first.) (credit:Getty Images)
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Prime Minister Of Iceland(02 of19)
Open Image ModalA former flight attendant turned politician, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir won eight consecutive elections since entering the Icelandic Parliament in 1978. After a long political career and great popularity she was elected to and assumed the office of the Prime Minister on February 1, 2009. She is the second female Prime Minister of Iceland, but also the world's first openly gay Prime Minister. In June 2010, Iceland legalized gay marriage, and Sigurðardóttir married her longtime partner. (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President Of Liberia(03 of19)
Open Image ModalOn January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became the 24th president of Liberia and the first elected female Head of State in Africa. She was born on October 29, 1938, in Monrovia where she studied economics at the College of West Africa. She worked as the Liberian Minister of Finance and at several international financial institutions before winning the presidential election in 2005 and again in 2011. In 2007, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor bestowed by an American president, and in 2011 she was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work." (credit:Getty Images)
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Prime Minister Of Denmark(04 of19)
Open Image ModalThorning-Schmidt, born on December 14, 1966, to parents who were both politically conservative, but she rose to become the leader of the Danish Social Democrats. She studied political science at the University of Copenhagen, and received a master's degree in policy and public administration from the University of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. She served as a member of the European Parliament, before becoming a member of the Danish Parliament in 2005, and on October 3, 2011, she became the Prime Minister of Denmark. She and her husband live in Copenhagen with their two daughters. (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Tarja Halonen, President Of Finland(05 of19)
Open Image ModalTarja Halonen is the 11th President of the Republic of Finland, and the first female head of state in that country. Born on December 24, 1943, she earned a degree in law from University of Helsinki and began her career as a lawyer before being elected to Parliament in 1979. She became President of Finland on March 1, 2000. She is widely respected for her commitment to human rights, but due to term limits, she will not be eligible for re-election in March of 2012. (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Prathiba Patil, President Of India(06 of19)
Open Image ModalBefore she became the 12th President of India - and the first woman to hold that office -- on July 25, 2007, Prathiba Patil was the first woman Governor of Rajasthan from 2004 to 2007. She earned a Masters degree in Political Science and Economics at the Moolji Jaitha College, and a Bachelor of Law degree from Government Law College in Mumbai. She began her career as a practicing lawyer, devoting much of her time to social causes including the empowerment of poor women. With her husband she has launched several philanthropic organizations including an educational institute, hostels for working women in New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune, and an engineering college. (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President Of Argentina(07 of19)
Open Image ModalThe first female president of Argentina was actually was Isabel Martínez de Perón who assumed the presidency after her husband, Juan Perón, died in office. But on December 10, 2007, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner became the first elected female president of the nation. Born on February 19, 1953, in La Plata, Buenos Aires, she went on to graduate from the National University of La Plata. A lawyer by trade, she was repeatedly elected to the Argentine National Congress between 1995 and 2007. She has been a strong advocate on behalf of human rights, poverty awareness and health issues. In January of 2012, she faced her own health issues when she underwent surgery for a cancer scare. She has since returned to work. (credit:Getty Images)
Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister Of Bangladesh(08 of19)
Open Image ModalSheikh Hasina was born on September 28, 1947 and is the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Elected to office on January 6, 2009, her political career began in the 1960s and her life has been profoundly affected by the tumultuous history of Bangladesh. Many members of her family endured imprisonment, and both her parents and her three brothers were all assassinated by members of the Bangladesh army. She herself lived in exile in India until 1981, when she was elected President of the Bangladesh Awami League - a movement against autocracy. It took many more years of conflict and scandal before she reached her current position. (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Dalia Grybauskaite, President Of Lithuania(09 of19)
Open Image ModalGrybauskaite was born on March 1, 1956 into a working class family. She studied political economy at the Saint Petersburg University, and on July 12, 2009 she became the first female president of Lithuania. Her victory was the result of a landslide election, in which she received 68.18% of the vote. Dubbed by the press as the "Lithuanian Iron Lady," she is known for her outspoken nature and her black belt in karate. (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Laura Chinchilla, President Of Costa Rica(10 of19)
Open Image ModalIn May of 2010, Laura Chinchilla became Costa Rica's first female President, and the sixth woman to be elected president of a Latin American country. She graduated from the University of Costa Rica and went on to earn a Master's degree in public policy from Georgetown University. Public polls taken in January of 2012 indicate deep dissatisfaction among the population with her presidency. (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister Of Trinidad and Tobago(11 of19)
Open Image ModalOn Tuesday May 26, 2010, Kamla Persad-Bissessar became the first woman to hold the office of Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. A former teacher, social worker and attorney-at-law, she has received multiple degrees from universities in the West Indies and England. (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Julia Gillard, Prime Minister Of Australia(12 of19)
Open Image ModalOn June 24, 2010, Julia Gillard became The 27th Prime Minister of Australia. Gillard was actually born on September 29, 1961, in Wales. After she suffered a childhood case of bronchopneumonia, doctors advised her parents that a warmer climate would benefit her health, and in 1966 her family migrated to Adelaide, Australia. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with a law degree, and worked in industrial law before entering politics. (credit:AP)
Portia Simpson-Miller, Prime Minister Of Jamaica(13 of19)
Open Image ModalBorn on December 12, 1945, Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller became the seventh Prime Minister of Jamaica -- and its first female head of government -- on January 5, 2012. In addition to being Prime Minister, she also holds the positions of Minister of Defence, Development, Information and Sports. She is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders and the first head of government in Jamaica to formally endorse civil rights for the LGBT community during an election campaign. (credit:AP)
Dilma Vana Rousseff, President Of Brazil(14 of19)
Open Image ModalOn January 1, 2011, Dilma Rousseff became the first woman president of Brazil. In her youth she was a socialist and associated with various left-wing and Marxist urban guerrilla groups. Her activities led to her imprisonment between 1970 and 1972. Thereafter, she rebuilt her life and entered politics, helping to found the Democratic Labour Party. Before becoming president, she served as Minister of Energy. Rousseff has been married twice but has now lived with her common-law husband, with whom she has a daughter, for thirty years. (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Atifete Jahjaga, President Of Kosovo(15 of19)
Open Image ModalCurrently the President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga is also the first woman, the youngest ever (at 36) and the first non-partisan candidate to hold the office. She had previously served as Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police and worked as an interpreter for the international police. She completed training as an officer and eventually rose to the rank of General Major. She assumed the presidential office on April 7, 2011 and the press has noted that neither she nor her husband own any real estate. Reportedly, they live in a modest apartment in Pristina. (credit:AFP/Getty Images)
Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister Of Thailand(16 of19)
Open Image ModalOn August 5, 2011, at the age of 44, Yingluck Shinawatra became Thailand's first female prime minister and the youngest person to assume that office in over 60 years. She is a former businesswoman and has earned degrees from both Chiang Mai University and Kentucky State University. Yingluck is the youngest of nine children, and has one son with her common-law husband. (credit:AP)
Iveta Radičová, Prime Minister Of Slovakia(17 of19)
Open Image ModalIveta Radičová was born on December 7, 1956 in Bratislava and became Slovakia's first female Prime Minister on July 8, 2010. She holds a PhD in philosophy, has one daughter and is the widow of a famous Slovak comedian and actor who died in 2005. (credit:AFP Getty Images)
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, President Of Switzerland(18 of19)
Open Image ModalThe executive branch of the Swiss government consists of seven members of the Federal Council, with a new president being appointed each year. Elected on December 14, 2011, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf took office on Jan 1 and will serve as Switzerland's president for 2012. A former lawyer, she is the sixth woman to be elected to the Swiss Federal Council. (credit:AFY/Getty Images)
Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, Prime Minister Of Mali(19 of19)
Open Image ModalBorn in Timbuktu, Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé is a Malian politician who studied at universities and foundations throughout West Africa and Europe. She was appointed to several ministerial positions before becoming the country's first woman to be appointed to the position of Prime Minister on April 3, 2011. (credit:Getty Images)