They're all political giants... but how TALL are our world leaders? Putin's shorter than he looks, Obama towers over Tony Abbott - while Canada's PM stands above the rest at the G20
- The G20 leaders will descend on Brisbane this weekend to flex their political muscles
- The tallest of them all is Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, at 6ft 2in
- He towers above the likes of South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, who is just 5ft 6in
- According to a 2011 US study by Dr Gregg Murray, at Texas Tech University, voters see tall politicians as the best people for the top jobs
They are the heavyweights who lead the world’s 20 major and emerging economies.
But just how intimidating are the G20 political giants in person and does their stature really make them more authoritative leaders?
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott stands at 5ft 9in, while Vladimir Putin - the Russian President who Abbott threatened to ‘shirtfront’ over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 - is just 5ft 7in.
However, both are often photographed with their shirts off and make-up for their moderate heights by taking pride in their sporting prowess and martial arts history.
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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott stands at 5ft 9in, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is just 5ft 7in
American President Barack Obama is 6ft 1in, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto is 5ft 7in and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper towers above all the leaders at 6ft 2in
Mr Abbott, a former rugby forward turned avid cyclist, was awarded a 'blue' for his boxing prowess during his time at Oxford University.
And while some of the myths around Putin are difficult to take seriously - he purportedly 'saved' a TV crew from a tiger several years ago - in reality, he is a judo master.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and American President Barack Obama - vertically gifted politicians - are taller at 6ft 1in, and both take a more leisurely approach to life than Putin and Abbott.
Barack is often spotted on the golf course – even on the same day that he addressed the ISIS beheading of top American war correspondent James Foley.
And Cameron is the master of ‘chillaxing’, a phrase he coined to describe his time out on the tennis court or watching a TV box set with wife Samantha.
How do the G20 leaders line-up? From left to right: Angela Merkel, Jacob Zuma, Vladimir Putin, Tony Abbott, Xi Linping, Shinzo Abe, King Abdullah, David Cameron, Barack Obama and the tallest of them all - Canada's Stephen Harper
But even Cameron and Obama are overshadowed by the tallest of all the G20 leaders to arrive in Brisbane this weekend - Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The majestic 55-year-old is a grand 6ft 2in and towers over the likes of French President Francois Hollande at 5ft 7in.
With all that height, Mr Harper is keen to remain stylish and is the first Canadian prime minister to employ a personal stylist, Michelle Muntean, to help co-ordinate his clothes.
Mr Hollande, meanwhile, is the second diminutive French President in a row, but he is two inches taller than Nicolas Sarkozy, who was notoriously touchy about his size.
In 2012, Hollande was left red-faced after an official visit to London when he was photographed next to rather taller guard of honour from the 1st Battalion of the Coldstream Guards. The guards' sizeable bearskins made the President appear tiny in the pictures taken outside the UK foreign office.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is 5ft 5in, the same height as Argentina’s Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, but they are both shorter than Brazil’s woman in charge Dilma Rousseff (right), who is 5ft 7in
French President Francois Hollande, is the second diminutive French President in a row, at 5ft 7in
Two of the Asian leaders at the G20 - President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, who lines up at 5ft 9in, and Japan’s leader Shinzo Abe, 5ft 10in – are both much taller than the average male citizen in their countries.
An average Chinese man is 5ft 6in, whereas an average Japanese man is 5ft 7in.
Meanwhile, female heavyweight Angela Merkel is 5ft 5in, the same height as Argentina’s Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, but they are both shorter than Brazil’s woman in charge Dilma Rousseff, who is 5ft 7in.
Proving that good things don’t always come in small packages, the first world leader to touch down in Brisbane for the G20, South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, is just 5ft 6in.
Zuma has faced multiple corruption claims, has been married six times and is estimated to have 20 children.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie (L) pose for a photo with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit on November 10. Mr Abe is 5ft 10in and Mr Jinping is 5ft 9in
Indonesian President Joko Widodo and President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will also make appearances at the G20
King Juan Carlos of Spain (L), Queen Sofia (2ndR), Crown Prince Felipe (R) and Saudi Arabia King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-sahud (2ndL) pose before a official diner at Royal Palace in Madrid, 19 June 2007. King Abdullah stands at 5ft 10 in
Then there’s, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. At 5ft 10 in, he needs all the height and strength he can get to support his weighty black-haired goaty.
But does a politician’s size really matter? According to a 2011 US study by Dr Gregg Murray at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, voters see tall politicians as the best people for the top job.
Dr Murray asked volunteers to depict leaders and ordinary citizens and 64 per cent of participants drew the leaders taller.
‘Our ancestors lived in groups that were constantly engaged in conflicts that were resolved through physical violence,’ said the psychologist in an interview with the Guardian.
‘If you are in a group and the enemy hordes are coming over the hill, what you want them to see is the big person out front so they know they face a tough battle.’
President of South Korea Park Geun-hye is one of four female leaders in the G20 and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa stands at 5ft 6in
Who wore it better? Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Italian Premier Matteo Renzi will give their views at the G20
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2nd left) is 5ft 10 in. He is seen here with other world leaders at the Myanmar International Convention Center in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw on November 12, 2014
In the Social Science Quarterly journal he said the findings of his ‘Caveman Politics’ study showed that not only did individuals tend to prefer leaders with greater physical stature but also ‘that males with greater physical stature are more likely to think of themselves as qualified to be a leader and, through this increased sense of efficacy, they are more likely to demonstrate interest in pursuing a leadership position’.
The G20 leaders – in all their shapes and sizes – will descend on the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 15 and 16 November to discuss the world’s economic issues.
The summit comprises of 19 countries - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States - plus the European Union.
Each G20 president is also allowed to invite several guest countries each year.
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Yeah but putin rides horses topless and hunts lion...
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