Miss Universe 2009 Candidates and Early Favorites

Eighty-five (85) countries are competing for the title of Miss Universe 2009 from August 1-23 in the Atlantis Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas.

The Philippines is represented by Pamela Bianca Manalo, who was a surprise winner in the Binibining Pilipinas 2009 pageant. Will she finally bring back the Philippines in the Miss U semis?

Bianca Manalo should stand out especially among other strong contenders from Asia such as Miss Japan Emiri Miyasaka, Miss Vietnam Hoang Yen Vo, Miss Indonesia Zivanna Letisha Siregar, Miss Lebanon Martine Andraos, Miss Thailand Chutima Durongdej, Miss Turkey Senem Kuyucuoglu, Miss China Jianyao Wang, Miss Singapore Rachel Kum, and Miss India Ekta Chowdhry.

Wow, almost all of the Asian delegates are "semi-final" worthy this year. Miss Philippines should really need to work harder to earn a semifinal slot.

In South America, pay close attention to Miss Brazil Larissa Costa, Miss Ecuador Sandra Vinces, Miss Colombia Michelle Rouillard and Miss Venezuela Stefanía Fernández while in the North America, early favorites so far are Miss USA Kristen Dalton, Miss Puerto Rico Mayra Matos Perez, Miss Mexico Karla Carrillo, Miss Costa Rica Jessica Umaña, Miss El Salvador Mayella Mena, Miss Jamaica Carolyn Yapp, Miss Canada Mariana Valente and Miss Dominican Republic Ada De La Cruz.

Strong candidates from Africa are Miss Egypt Elham Wagdi, Miss Ghana Jennifer Koranteng, Miss Zambia Andella Chileshe Matthews, Miss Ethiopia Melat Yante, Miss Nigeria Sandra Otohwo and Miss South Africa Tatum Keshwar.

Europe is well represented by lovely and gorgeous ladies. Some of them are Miss Russia Sofia Rudyeva, Miss Ukraine Kristina Kots-Gotlib, Miss Albania Hasna Xhukuci, Miss Netherlands Avalon-Chanel Weyzig, Miss Ireland Diana Donnelly, Miss Greece Viviana Kampanile, Miss Czech Republic Iveta Lutovska and Miss Iceland Ingibjörg Egilsdóttir (photo above).

The candidates from Cayman Islands, Guam, Australia and Kosovo are also heavy contenders.

To be hosted by Billy Bush and Claudia Jordan, the 58th Miss Universe (2009) finals will be held on August 23 at the Imperial Ballroom, Atlantis Paradise Island with performers such as Flo Rida, Heidi Montag, David Guetta and Kelly Rowland.

Here's the full list of candidates for Miss Universe 2009:

Albania, Hasna Xhukuci
Angola, Nelsa Alves
Argentina, Johanna Lasic
Aruba, Dianne Croes
Australia, Rachael Finch
Bahamas, Kiara Sherman
Belgium, Zeynep Sever
Bolivia, Dominique Peltier
Brazil, Larissa Costa
Bulgaria, Elitsa Lubenova
Canada, Mariana Valente
Cayman Islands, Nicosia Lawson
China, Jing Yao Wang
Colombia, Michelle Rouillard
Costa Rica, Jessica Umaña
Croatia, Sarah Ćosić
Curaçao, Angenie 'Angie' Simon
Cyprus, Kielia Giasemidou
Czech Republic, Iveta Lutovská
Dominican Republic, Ada de la Cruz
Ecuador, Sandra Vinces
Egypt, Elham Wagdi
El Salvador, Mayella Mena
Estonia, Diana Arno
Ethiopia, Melat Yante
Finland, Essi Pöysti
France, Chloé Mortaud
Georgia, Lika Ordzhonikidze
Germany, Martina Lee
Ghana, Jennifer Koranteng
Great Britain, Clair Cooper
Greece, Viviana Kampanile
Guam, Racine Manley
Guatemala, Lourdes Figueroa
Guyana, Jenel Cox
Honduras, Bélgica Suárez
Hungary, Zsuzsa Budai
Iceland, Ingibjörg Egilsdóttir
India, Ekta Choudhry
Indonesia, Zivanna Letisha Siregar
Ireland, Diana Donnelly
Israel, Yulia Liubianitzki
Italy, Laura Valenti
Jamaica, Carolyn Yapp
Japan, Emiri Miyasaka
Korea, Seon Na-ri 'Ree Na'
Kosovo, Marigona Dragusha
Lebanon, Martine Andraos
Malaysia, JoannaBelle Ng Li Vun
Mauritius, Anaïs Veerapatren
Mexico, Karla Carrillo
Montenegro, Anja Jovanović
Namibia, Happie Ntelamo
Netherlands, Avalon-Chanel Weyzig
New Zealand, Katie Taylor
Nicaragua, Indiana Sánchez
Nigeria, Sandra Otohwo
Norway, Eli Landa
Panama, Diana Broce
Paraguay, Mareike Baumgarten
Peru, Karen Schwarz
Philippines, Pamela Bianca Manalo
Poland, Angelika Jakubowska
Puerto Rico, Mayra Matos
Romania, Elena Bianca Constantin
Russia, Sofia Rudieva
Serbia, Dragana Atlija
Singapore, Rachel Kum
Slovak Republic, Denisa Mendrejová
Slovenia, Mirela Korač
South Africa, Tatum Keshwar
Spain, Estíbaliz Pereira
Sweden, Renate Cerljen
Switzerland, Whitney Toyloy
Tanzania, Illuminata James
Thailand, Chutima Durongdej
Turkey, Senem Kuyucuoğlu
Turks & Caicos, Jewel Selver
Ukraine, Kristina Kotz-Gotlib
Uruguay, Cintia Dottone
USA, Kristen Dalton
Venezuela, Stefanía Fernández
Vietnam, Võ Hoàng Yến
Zambia, Andella Chileshe Matthews