Photo gallery: Miss World beauty queens
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Miss Yu Wenxia of China waves to the audience after being crowned the winner of Miss World 2012 during the pageant's final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 18, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss Yu Wenxia of China waves to the audience after being crowned the winner of Miss World 2012 during the pageant's final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 18, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant, Costa Rica's Silvana Sanchez Jiminez, prepares backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant, Lebanon's Sonia Lynn-Gabriel, (center), prepares prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at a hotel in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant, Nicaragua's Lauren Gabrielle Lawson Guerrero, waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on August 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant, Cyprus' Georgia Georgiou, poses for a photo as she waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant, Fiji's Koini Vakaloloma, poses for a photo as she waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant Panama's Maricely Pomares poses for a photo as she waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant, South Sudan's Atong Demach, poses for a photo as she waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant, Ireland's Rebecca Maguire, poses for photos backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant, Latvia's Anastasija Skibunova, (center), waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant, Lebanon's Sonia Lynn-Gabriel, (center), prepares prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at a hotel in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestants wait backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestants wait backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. More than 100 beauty queens from around the globe have descended on the northern Chinese mining city of Ordos on the edge of the Gobi desert ahead of the Miss World final on Aug 18. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestants leave a hotel prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at a hotel in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Miss World contestant, Nicaragua's Lauren Lawson Guerrero, (right), prepares prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at a hotel in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss Yu Wenxia of China waves to the audience after being crowned the winner of Miss World 2012 during the pageant's final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 18, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss Yu Wenxia of China waves to the audience after being crowned the winner of Miss World 2012 during the pageant's final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 18, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant, Costa Rica's Silvana Sanchez Jiminez, prepares backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant, Lebanon's Sonia Lynn-Gabriel, (center), prepares prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at a hotel in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant, Nicaragua's Lauren Gabrielle Lawson Guerrero, waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on August 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant, Cyprus' Georgia Georgiou, poses for a photo as she waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant, Fiji's Koini Vakaloloma, poses for a photo as she waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant Panama's Maricely Pomares poses for a photo as she waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant, South Sudan's Atong Demach, poses for a photo as she waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant, Ireland's Rebecca Maguire, poses for photos backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant, Latvia's Anastasija Skibunova, (center), waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant, Lebanon's Sonia Lynn-Gabriel, (center), prepares prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at a hotel in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestants wait backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestants wait backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. More than 100 beauty queens from around the globe have descended on the northern Chinese mining city of Ordos on the edge of the Gobi desert ahead of the Miss World final on Aug 18. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestants leave a hotel prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at a hotel in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Miss World contestant, Nicaragua's Lauren Lawson Guerrero, (right), prepares prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at a hotel in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos on Aug 17, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
ORDOS, China (AFP) - Beauty queens from all over the planet made final preparations to compete for the Miss World title on Saturday in a Chinese mining city on the edge of the Gobi desert.
A total of 116 contestants - the highest number ever - were scheduled to don their finest evening gowns and swimwear for the evening contest, which is watched annually by around a billion people around the globe.
