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Photo - Meet The Richest Person From Every Major Country In The World
Submitted by gaf on November 24, 2011 - 14:07
There are more billionaires in the world than ever before--Forbes puts the figure at 1,210.
Even so, there's something impressive about being able to call yourself the richest person in a given country.
We looked at the data on Forbes' latest billionaires list, which includes the net worths of the world's richest people as of March 2011.
There were lots of shakeups this year, with lots of former titleholders losing their superlatives, and several titleholders vastly increasing their net worths.
Now, meet the richest man or woman from every major country across the globe.
Reference:
Julie Zeveloff and Leah Goldman - Business Insider
The richest Dane: Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen
Net worth: $4.7 billion
Forbes rank: 223
Background: He is the grandson of the inventor of Legos, the ubiquitous kids' building block. Kristiansen ran the company for 25 years before stepping down in 2004.
The richest Greek: Spiro Latsis
Net worth: $4.8 billion
Forbes rank: 219
Background: Latsis made his fortune in the shipping industry, but he has taken a real hit as Greece's economy has collapsed.
The richest Austrian: Dietrich Mateschitz
Net worth: $5 billion
Forbes rank: 208
Background: Mateschitz is the creator of Red Bull, the energy drink that is popular worldwide. He also owns stakes in two soccer teams, a Formula One racing team, and a luxury resort in Fiji.
The richest Argentines: Carlos and Alejandro Bulgheroni
Net worth: $5.1 billion
Forbes rank: 200
Background: The brothers turned Bridas, their father's oil services company, into Argentina's second-largest oil and gas company. They overtook the former richest person in Argentina, Gregorio Perez Companc, whose net worth fell from $2 billion to $1.4 billion this year.
The richest Egyptian: Nassef Sawiris
Networth: $5.6 billion
Forbes rank: 182
Background: Nassef Sawiris' father, Onsi, founded Orascom conglomerate. Nassef took over the company's construction and fertilizer division in 1998.
The richest Taiwanese: Cher Wang & Wenchi Chen
Net worth: $6.8 billion
Forbes rank: 143
Background: The husband and wife duo run HTC, one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Wang was also born into wealth. They replaced Terry Gou, an electronics magnate who was previously the richest person in Taiwan.
The richest Dutch: Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken
Net worth: $7.5 billion
Forbes rank: 124
Background: Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken took over Heineken when her father, Henry Heineken, passed away leaving her his fortune. Carvalho-Heineken lives her life out of the spotlight. Unlike her father, who was known to show off his wealth, she lives an anonymous life with her husband and five kids.
The richest Japanese: Masayoshi Son
Networth: $8.1 billion
Forbes rank: 113
Background: Son is the founder of the internet and telecom firm SoftBank. He owns stakes in several major internet companies, and beat out Tadashi Yanai to become the richest person in Japan.
The richest South Korean: Lee Kun-Hee
Net worth: $8.6 billion
Forbes rank: 105
Background: Lee Kun-Hee is the chairman of Samsung. In 2008, he stepped down as chairman due to charges of tax evasion and breach of trust. But after being pardoned at the end of 2009, he resumed his position in March of 2010.
The richest Australian: Gina Rinehart
Net worth: $9 billion
Forbes rank: 100
Background: Gina Rinehart owns all the shares of her father's mining company, Hancock Mining. Given the recent boom in the value of her iron mines, she's on track to become the richest woman in the world. She overtook the former wealthiest Australian, Andrew Forrest, who also owns an iron ore company.
Net worth: $9.2 billion Forbes rank: 97 Background: Petr Kellner is the major shareholder in Dutch holding company PPF Group N
Net worth: $9.2 billion
Forbes rank: 97
Background: Petr Kellner is the major shareholder in Dutch holding company PPF Group N.V., which controls the PPF Group, founded by him in 1991. He was born in the Czech Republic and graduated from the University of Economics, Prague in 1986.
The richest Chinese: Liang Wengen
Net worth: $9.3 billion
Forbes rank: 114 (as of March 2011)
Background: Wengen, chairman of machinery manufacturer Sany Group, just overtook Baidu founder Robin Li to become the titleholder of the richest man in China. Forbes puts his fortune at $9.3 billion, while HuRun report says its closer to $11 billion.
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