Winner: Maria Restino Manuel

The pose is slick, the gown designer, the lighting moody. From the silver tiara on her head down to the polish on her toes, Maria Restino Manuel is every inch the beauty queen.

But this is no ordinary title. Maria has just won one of the most astonishing beauty parades in the world.

The newly-crowned Miss Landmine 2008 is an amputee – one of the thousands left crippled in the bloody aftermath of the Angolan civil war. Continue Reading

History: Civil war broke out in Angola after the country’s independence from Portugal in 1975. More than 500,000 were killed in 27 years of fighting. All sides used landmines – only 43,000 have been removed, but it will take 10 more years to remove the remaining millions. Every year, 400 locals step on mines.

Miss Landmine Angola 2008 Website