Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir
Encyclopedia
Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir (born May 25, 1984 in Reykjavík
, Iceland
) is a former winner of the Miss Iceland
pageant. She was crowned Miss World 2005 on December 10, 2005, in the Beauty Crown Theatre
located in the Chinese beach city of Sanya
, by the reigning beauty queen, 2004's Miss Peru
Maju Mantilla.
Mexico (Dafne Molina Lona
) and Puerto Rico
(Ingrid Marie Rivera Santos) were the first and second runners up. Other contestants who made it into the final six were Miss Italy (Sofia Bruscoli), Miss Korea (Eun Young Oh
) and Miss Tanzania
(Nancy Abraham Sumari).
For the past year she has been studying anthropology
at the University of Iceland
and next autumn she will commence her studies in law as she plans to graduate as a lawyer, as well as an anthropologist. During the summer of 2005 Unnur Birna temped as a police officer at Keflavík International Airport
. She is the chairman of the college social club and teaches dance. She enjoys acting, singing, all types of dancing, snow-boarding, hiking, camping, horsemanship and has a special talent for choreography and playing the piano.
Her mother, Unnur Steinsson
, won the Miss Iceland pageant in 1983 and was a finalist at the 1983 Miss World
pageant. Unnur's mother was 3–4 months pregnant during the 1983 pageant. This was against the pageant rules and warrants disqualification. However, this was not found out until after the pageant was over. Unnur is the third Miss World from Iceland, the former two were Linda Pétursdóttir
in 1988 and Hólmfríður Karlsdóttir
in 1985.
Unnur's reign only lasted 9 months because the pageant was scheduled for September 2006.
She is succeeded by Sif Aradóttir
who represented Iceland at the 2006 Miss Universe
in Los Angeles, California.
She crowned her successor, Taťána Kuchařová
of Czech Republic, the next Miss World on September 30, 2006.
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
) is a former winner of the Miss Iceland
Miss Iceland
-History:The competition has been carried out since 1950; in the first year it was called Miss Reykjavík . Since 1955, the contest has taken place under the current name Miss Iceland....
pageant. She was crowned Miss World 2005 on December 10, 2005, in the Beauty Crown Theatre
Crown of Beauty Theatre
Beauty Crown Cultural Center is an indoor arena or theater in the tropical city of Sanya, Hainan Island, People's Republic of China, and it is currently one of the biggest arena or theater for arts and entertainment venues, which stands 36 meters high and covers about 10,000 square meters, and was...
located in the Chinese beach city of Sanya
Sanya
Sanya is the southernmost city in China and is a part of Hainan Province. In 2006, it had a population of 536,000, making it, after the provincial capital , the second most populous city on the island. The city is renowned for its tropical climate and has emerged as a popular tourist destination,...
, by the reigning beauty queen, 2004's Miss Peru
Miss Peru
Peru has been competing in the Miss Universe pageants for over 50 years. Their first representative was Ada Gabriela Bueno in 1952. Five years later, It became the first Latin American and Spanish-speaking country to win the Miss Universe crown when Gladys Zender became Miss Universe 1957. As of...
Maju Mantilla.
Mexico (Dafne Molina Lona
Dafne Molina
Dafne Molina Lona is a Mexican model who represented her country in Miss World 2005, held in Sanya, China on December 10, 2005.-Biography:...
) and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
(Ingrid Marie Rivera Santos) were the first and second runners up. Other contestants who made it into the final six were Miss Italy (Sofia Bruscoli), Miss Korea (Eun Young Oh
Eun Young Oh
Oh Eun-young is a beauty queen from the nation of Korea. She won the Miss Korea World title and finished in the top 6 of the Miss World 2005 pageant. She was fast tracked to the semifinals by winning the Miss World Beauty With A Purpose title...
) and Miss Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
(Nancy Abraham Sumari).
For the past year she has been studying anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at the University of Iceland
University of Iceland
The University of Iceland is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern comprehensive university, providing instruction for about...
and next autumn she will commence her studies in law as she plans to graduate as a lawyer, as well as an anthropologist. During the summer of 2005 Unnur Birna temped as a police officer at Keflavík International Airport
Keflavík International Airport
-Cargo airlines:-Ground transport:Transport between the airport and Reykjavik city is by road only. The distance is 50 km. A new fast freeway was opened 2008. The buses have a timetable adapted to the flight schedule. They go to and from the Reykjavik bus terminal, taking around 45 minutes...
. She is the chairman of the college social club and teaches dance. She enjoys acting, singing, all types of dancing, snow-boarding, hiking, camping, horsemanship and has a special talent for choreography and playing the piano.
Her mother, Unnur Steinsson
Unnur Steinsson
Unnur Steinsson was Miss Iceland 1983 who competed in Miss Universe 1983 and came in the Top 5 position at the Miss World finals. She is the mother of Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir who won the Miss Iceland pageant in 2005 and became Miss World 2005....
, won the Miss Iceland pageant in 1983 and was a finalist at the 1983 Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
pageant. Unnur's mother was 3–4 months pregnant during the 1983 pageant. This was against the pageant rules and warrants disqualification. However, this was not found out until after the pageant was over. Unnur is the third Miss World from Iceland, the former two were Linda Pétursdóttir
Linda Pétursdóttir
Linda Pétursdóttir is a former Miss World from Vopnafjörður, Iceland. She is now a business woman running Baðhúsið, The Bath House, a ladies-only health spa. After a period in Vancouver, Canada, she has returned to her native Iceland and given birth to a daughter Isabella Cohen.-External links:*...
in 1988 and Hólmfríður Karlsdóttir
Hólmfríður Karlsdóttir
Hólmfríður "Hófí" Karlsdóttir was Miss Iceland, Europe's Queen of Beauty and Miss World in 1985.-Life after Miss World:Hólmfríður is married to Elfar Rúnarsson and they have three children together, Anton Örn Elfarsson , Rúnar Karl Elfarsson and Ásta Gígja Elfarsdóttir...
in 1985.
Unnur's reign only lasted 9 months because the pageant was scheduled for September 2006.
She is succeeded by Sif Aradóttir
Sif Aradóttir
Sif Aradóttir was Ungfrú Ísland or Miss Iceland in 2006. She is from Keflavík.At the time of her crowning as Iceland's national beauty queen, which was televised live on Icelandic Television, Sif was a student training to be an air traffic controller.Organizers of the national contest decided to...
who represented Iceland at the 2006 Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
in Los Angeles, California.
She crowned her successor, Taťána Kuchařová
Tatána Kucharová
Taťána Kuchařová is a Czech beauty pageant titleholder who won the title of Miss World Czech Republic and Miss World 2006. In doing so, she became the first woman from the Czech Republic to win the title at the final event of the Miss World competition, held on 30 September 2006, in Warsaw, Poland...
of Czech Republic, the next Miss World on September 30, 2006.