Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, Philippines, Miss Earth 2009 venue
Miss Cuba, Jamilette Gaxiola
Before the Miss Earth 2009 competition heats up, here's some of the heads up starter and overview of this year's pageant:
Bolivia Dominique Peltier (Bolivia) previously competed at Miss Universe 2009 in Nassau, Bahamas.
Guatemala Hamy Tejeda previously competed in Miss World 2007.
Honduras Alejandra Mendoza, the winner of Miss Honduras Belleza Nacional 2007-2008 (Miss Honduras 2007-2008) pageant was supposed to represent Honduras in the Miss Earth 2008, but failed to compete. She will now represent Honduras in the Miss Earth 2009. She also competed in the international Reina de La Costa Maya 2008 pageant in August 2008 and won second runner up including the best in national costume award.
Kazakhstan Inessa Nazarova, the winner of Miss Earth Kazakhstan 2009, previously competed as Miss Kazakhstan in the Miss Ámbar Mundial 2009 beauty pageant, but she failed to place. In 2007, she was appointed by the organizer of Miss Tourism Queen International as representative of Kyrgyzstan. She competed and became a semifinalist in the Miss Tourism Queen International 2007. In 2009, she was again appointed by the Miss Tourism Queen International organizer to represent Georgia in the Miss Tourism Queen International 2009, but this time, she failed to advance on the semifinal round.
Paraguay Gabriela Rejala previously competed in Miss World 2008.
Philippines Sandra Seifert was a contestant in Binibining Pilipinas 2009 but was disqualified for having posed in a two-piece-swimsuit in a Men's Magazine. Born in Taiwan, she is the fist non-native born Philippine representative. Seifert's father is of German heritage, and her mother is Filipino.
Puerto Rico Dignelis Jiménez previously competed in Miss International 2003 but she was unplaced. She also represented Puerto Rico in Miss Tourism World 2004, she was 2nd runner up, and won Best in Evening Gown.
South Sudan Aheu Deng, who stands 6 feet 5 inches (195.5cm) tall, is the tallest documented beauty queen ever to take part in an international beauty pageant.
USA Amy Diaz previously competed in the Miss USA 2008 where she made the top 15. Diaz is also half Dominican.
New crown
In the 9th edition of the pageant, the Miss Earth Organizers will unveil a new crown to be worn by the winner of Miss Earth 2009 with the preservation of the planet Earth as its primary consideration. The crown was designed by an environmentalist jewelry designer from Florida, Ramona Haar, the official jeweller of the Miss Earth pageant.[120]
The new crown is made of 100% recycled precious metals comprising of 14kt gold and argentums sterling silver. What sets the Miss Earth crown apart is the fact that the gemstones used both precious stone and semiprecious stone were donations from over 80 different participating countries. These are gemstones that each country is known for either as the origin or source. The gemstones were sent in various forms: faceted, cabochons, beads or rough. The designer travelled to Jaipur, India to have these gemstones individually trim and faceted to the required cut and sizes.
The flower in the center of the crown represents Mother Earth, as inspired by the statement of an American poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson's "The earth laughs in flowers." The recurring spiral motif has always been associated with "maternal power" and "feminine prestige" which is the essence of Miss Earth. The gentle curves in the crown symbolize "unity" and the "spirit of cooperation."
Venue
The pageant will take place for the first time outside the Island of Luzon. The venue for Miss Earth 2009 final night was first planned to be held in Cebu City, Philippines, but the mayor declined due to the financial cost of sponsoring the pageant. Boracay Ecovillage Resort and Convention Center won the rights to host the coronation night of the 2009 edition of the pageant.
The convention center is a private ecotourism venue intended for trade events, industry conventions, corporate functions, concerts, and international exhibitions. It is one of the landmarks of the Island of Boracay, which was declared by the British publication TV Quick as the world's number one tropical beach and topped the 2007 Yahoo! Travel list of World’s Most Popular Beach.
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