Measuring world leaders
In the United States in particular, it is almost political dogma that to succeed in politics-- especially to reach the Oval Office-- a politician must be tall to project authority and confidence. Which of these countries has the shortest leader?
A. France
B. Japan
C. Russia
C. Russia is correct.
Russia's president-elect, Dmitry Medvedev, a fan of leather jackets and 1970s Western rock bands such as Deep Purple, is 5 feet 4 inches tall. He thus stands shorter than France's Nicolas Sarkozy, Germany's Angela Merkel, and Japan's Yasuo Fukuda. However, Medvedev's height is not much of a departure from that of Vladimir Putin, who stands 5 feet 5.
Sarkozy, who took office as president of France in May 2007, stands 5 feet 6 inches. Merkel, the German chancellor, is 5 feet 8. Fukuda, Japan's prime minister, is 5 feet 7.
The last man of average height to serve as president of the United States was Jimmy Carter (5 feet 9 inches), who served only one term, from 1977 to 1981.
The Globalist Quiz is produced by The Globalist, a Washington research organization that promotes awareness of world affairs. © 2008 The Globalist, theglobalist.com.
