Czech beauty Tatana Kucharova on Saturday won the Miss World title, in a glitzy finale of the beauty pageant broadcast to more than 200 countries from the Polish capital.
Kucharova, 18, finished ahead of five other finalists, Romania's Ioana Valentina, Australian Sabrina Houssami, Stiviandra Oliveira of Angola, Brazil's Jane Sousa Borges Oliveira and Jamaica's Sara Lawrens.
The 104 contenders for the crown posed in bathing suits and evening dress during the gala celebration at Warsaw's stately Palace of Culture that was "gifted" to Poland by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
The new titleholder succeeds Miss Iceland's Unnur Birna Vilhajalmsdottir, named Miss World 2005 in China.
Now in its 56th year, Miss World claims to be the globe's largest beauty contest, edging out rival organization Miss Universe.
Saturday's two-hour event capped a month of activities in Poland where the contestants traveled widely, and performed traditional Miss World staples like singing and dancing. They also attended university conferences and, bafflingly, inspected bus engines with Polish police officers.
The two billion television viewers expected by the organizers to have tuned into the competition were able to vote by sending mobile telephone text messages.
"A Miss World isn't just a doll that walks around with a crown. The more intelligent she is, the more she has a rich interior life, the better off she is. That's the kind of girl I want to choose," said one former Miss World, Aneta Kreglicka of Poland.
{{/usCountry}}"A Miss World isn't just a doll that walks around with a crown. The more intelligent she is, the more she has a rich interior life, the better off she is. That's the kind of girl I want to choose," said one former Miss World, Aneta Kreglicka of Poland.
{{/usCountry}}Kreglicka was on a jury that included Indian director Karan Johan and British Olympic running champion Kelly Holmes.
Indian contestant Natasha Suri crashed out of the Miss World 2006 failing to make it to the final six of the pageant held at the Polish capital tonight.