Miss Venezuela crowned new Miss Universe

Miss Venezuela, 22-year-old Dayana Mendoza, won the Miss Universe pageant held in Vietnam on Monday, beating runners-up from three other Latin American countries and Russia.

The 178-centimetre (five foot 10) beauty, who had been the favorite of many pageant watchers and online bookmakers, clinched the diamond-studded gold crown after answering a question on the difference between men and women.

"Men think that the fastest way to go to a point is to go straight," explained the trilingual contestant from Amazonas state. "Women know that the faster way to go to a point is to go to the curves."

Wearing a yellow evening gown, she burst into tears of joy when the presenter, U.S. talkshow host Jerry Springer, announced she had won, beating finalists from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Russia.

Her prize package includes cash, a year-long contract promoting Miss Universe, world travel, a rent-free New York City luxury apartment and a gift bag stuffed with free designer shoes, dresses and beauty products.

In the world of beauty contests, Venezuela -- where such contests are held in schools, villages and even prisons -- is considered a "pageant superpower" with four previous Miss Universe and five Miss World winners.

Every schoolgirl, it is said, knows the magic Venezuelan beauty formula -- 90-60-90 -- their body measurements in centimeters, and past pageant controversies are the stuff of passionate debate.