10 female leaders making history around the world

As Hillary Clinton announces her presidential campaign, we celebrate female leaders worldwide. How many of these did you know about?

By Emma-Louise PritchardPublished: 13 April 2015

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1. Chancellor Angela Merkel

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Former research scientist, Angela Merkel, is the first female Chancellor of Germany and has been in office since 2005. She is also the first female leader of the Christian Democratic Union.

2. President Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner

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Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner, known as CFK for short, has been the President of Argentina for 8 years. She is the widow of former Argentinian president Néstor Kirchne.

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3. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed

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Sheikh Hasina has been Prime Minister of Bangladesh twice. She first served from 1996 to 2001 and has currently been serving since 2009. She has led the Bangladesh Awami League since 1981.

4. President Park Geun-hye

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Park Geun-hye has a few ‘firsts’ under her belt. She is the first women to be elected as the President of South Korea, the first female head of state in the modern history of North-Eastern Asia and the first South Korean president to have been born a South Korean citizen.

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5. Prime Minister Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller

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Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller is the Prime Minister of Jamaica and has served since 2012. Her first stint as PM ran from March 2006 to September 2007.

6. President Dilma Vana Rousseff

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Dilma Vana Rousseff is the first female President of Brazil and ranked third on the Forbes 2011 Most Powerful Women List.

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7. President Sonia Gandhi

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Born in Italy, Sonia Gandhi has been the President of the Indian National Congress party since 1998. She is the widow of Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India and part of the Nehru–Gandhi family.

8. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

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President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the first female head of state in Africa. She won the 2005 presidential election and was re-elected in 2011.

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9. President Atifete Jahjaga

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Atifete Jahjaga is another politician who has made history a number of times. She is the first female President of the Republic of Kosovo, the youngest person to be elected in office and the first female head of state in the modern Balkans. Before her career in politics, she was Major General in the Kosovo Police – the highest rank among women in Southeastern Europe.