Almost 85 of the most finest and gorgeous women from across the globe will compete for the world’s most coveted beauty title of Miss Universe 2009.

Miss Universe 2009 pageant will took place in the islands of the Bahamas and ABS-CBN was chosen by the Miss Universe Organization to be its exclusive media partner here in the Philippines, which will be aired live on August 24, Monday at 9:30 AM. It will have a primetime telecast the same day via Velvet (Sky Cable channel 53) at 8:00 PM; on August 25, Tuesday, 8 PM on Studio 23; and on August 27, Thursday, 10 PM on ABS-CBN. Catch the replays on Velvet on Wednesday, August 26 at 8:30 PM and on Saturday, August 30 at 10 PM.

The pageant will be hosted by Access Hollywood co-anchor Billy Bush and Celebrity Apprentice star Claudia.

Here is the complete list of the participating candidates to the Miss Universe 2009:

Albania – Hasna Xhukiçi
Angola – Nelsa Alves
Argentina – Johanna Lasic
Aruba – Dianne Croes
Australia – Rachael Finch
Bahamas – Kiara Sherman
Belgium – Zeynep Sever
Bolivia – Dominique Peltier
Brazil – Larissa Costa
Bulgaria – Elitsa Lubenova
Canada – Mariana Valente
Cayman – Islands Nicosia Lawson
China – Wang Jingyao
Colombia – Michelle Rouillard
Costa Rica – Jessica Umaña
Croatia – Sarah Ćosić
Curaçao – Angenie Simon
Cyprus – Kielia Giasemidou
Czech Republic – Iveta Lutovská
Dominican Republic – Ada de la Cruz
Ecuador – Sandra Vinces
Egypt – Elham Wagdi
El Salvador – Mayella Mena
Estonia – Diana Arno
Ethiopia – Melat Yante
Finland – Essi Pöysti
France – Chloé Mortaud
Georgia – Lika Ordzhonikidze
Germany – Martina Lee
Ghana – Jennifer Koranteng
Great Britain – Clair Cooper
Greece – Viviana Kampanile
Guam – Racine Manley
Guatemala – Lourdes Figueroa
Guyana – Jenel Cox
Honduras – Bélgica Suárez
Hungary – Zsuzsa Budai
Iceland – Ingibjörg Egilsdóttir
India – Ekta Choudhry
Indonesia – Zivanna Letisha Siregar
Ireland – Diana Donnelly
Israel – Yulia Liubianitzki
Italy – Laura Valenti
Jamaica – Carolyn Yapp
Japan – Emiri Miyasaka
Kazakhstan – Olga Nikitina
Korea – Ree Na
Kosovo – Marigona Dragusha
Lebanon – Martine Andraos
Malaysia – JoannaBelle Ng
Mauritius – Anaïs Veerapatren
Mexico – Karla Carrillo
Montenegro – Anja Jovanović
Namibia – Happie Ntelamo
Netherlands – Avalon-Chanel Weyzig
New Zealand – Katie Taylor
Nicaragua – Indiana Sánchez
Nigeria – Sandra Otohwo
Norway – Eli Landa
Panama – Diana Broce
Paraguay – Mareike Baumgarten
Peru – Karen Schwarz
Philippines – Pamela Bianca Manalo
Poland – Angelika Jakubowska
Puerto Rico – Mayra Matos
Romania – Elena Bianca Constantin
Russia – Sofia Rudieva
Serbia – Dragana Atlija
Singapore – Rachel Kum
Slovak Republic – Denisa Mendrejová
Slovenia – Mirela Korač
South Africa – Tatum Keshwar
Spain – Estíbaliz Pereira
Sweden – Renate Cerljen
Switzerland – Whitney Toyloy
Tanzania – Illuminata James
Thailand – Chutima Durongdej
Turkey – Senem Kuyucuoğlu
Turks & Caicos – Jewel Selver
Ukraine – Kristina Kotz-Gotlib
Uruguay – Cintia Dottone
USA – Kristen Dalton
Venezuela – Stefanía Fernández
Vietnam – Võ Hoàng Yến
Zambia – Andella Chileshe Matthews