(Baonghean.vn) - German Chancellor, Dr. Angela Merkel is also known as the "Iron Lady" because of her decisive decisions and actions as the leader of Germany, the world's fourth largest economy and a leading power in Europe. This year marks 11 years that Ms. Merkel has been Chancellor of Germany and she has not yet announced her intention to step down as leader of this powerhouse with the intention of continuing to run for a fourth term as Chancellor of Germany in next year's election.
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| Angela Dorothea Merkel was born on April 17, 1954, in Hamburg, a port city in northern Germany. Her father was a pastor and her mother was a housewife. As a child, Angela was described as an intelligent, hard-working, bright child with an angelic appearance. At school, Angela was a good student, especially in Russian and mathematics. Photo: Business Insider. |
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| Merkel is risk-averse. During a gym class at age nine, Angela stood motionless on the diving board in the swimming pool for 45 minutes before deciding to jump in just before class ended. |
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| Angela Merkel studied Physics at the University of Leipzig from 1973 to 1978. Pictured here is her participation in the International Mathematics Competition in Teterow, Germany in 1971. She worked and researched at the Central Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Institute of the Academy of Sciences from 1986 to 1990. Photo: Getty |
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| Angela Merkel studied physics in Leipzig, where she first met her first husband, Ulrich Merkel. He described her as a "very friendly, open and approachable lady." She loved to travel, and this photo was taken in Prague in 1982. After graduating from university, she worked at the East German Academy of Sciences, where she earned a PhD in quantum chemistry. |
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| On the night the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, Merkel, 35, went to a sauna. Afterwards, she walked past the Berlin Wall, celebrated for a while with strangers, drank a beer, and then went straight home so she wouldn’t be too tired to go to work the next day. Most of Germany celebrated all night. |
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| Merkel entered politics in 1989, joining the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl appointed her to the cabinet despite Merkel's lack of experience, seeing her potential. Photo: Reuters. |
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| In 1994, Merkel was appointed Minister of the Environment and Nuclear Reactor Safety. Her new political vision and role propelled her career. Here, Angela Merkel in her office in Bonn, Germany, February 1991. Photo: Corbis |
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| In April 2000, following a financial scandal involving several CDU leaders, she was chosen to replace party chairman Wolfgang Schauble, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Photo: web.de |
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| In May 2005, Merkel became a rival to Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the general election. Her effective leadership helped her assert her position and win the support of the people. She took office as Chancellor of Germany on November 22, 2005. In this photo, Merkel participates in an election campaign in Regensburg, Germany. Photo: Getty |
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| In January 2006, she visited the US on her first visit as Prime Minister. Photo: state.gov |
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| On December 9, 2015, the prestigious American magazine TIME voted German Chancellor Angela Merkel as Person of the Year for her influence on the world situation in 2015. She is the fourth woman in the world to receive this honor since 1927. The German Chancellor is known as the Iron Lady and topped the list of the 100 most powerful women in the world for the fourth consecutive year voted by Forbes. Photo: Elexander Kurz |
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| Mrs. Merkel and world leaders clasped hands to show their determination to fight terrorism in Paris, November 2015. |
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| In 2009, she won the German Chancellor position for the second time, and in 2013, the third term. And a senior politician in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party said that Ms. Merkel will run for a fourth term as Chancellor in next year's election. If she continues in office until 2017, she will be the longest-serving leader in Europe. Photo: Forbes |
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| Colleagues said she was a music lover. She also always accompanied the German national football team and followed important matches. After the victory at the 2014 World Cup, the German chancellor personally visited the players. Photo: AFP |
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