Forbes just released its list of this year's 100 most powerful women, and it's a fearsome collection of heads of state, captains of industry, and entertainment giants. Coming in at #1 is Germany's first female Chancellor, Angela Merkel, she of the towering intellect (and towering cleavage). Another notable in the top ten is Indra K. Nooyi, the head of PepsiCo, who is the highest-paid female CEO in America and, as we previously mentioned, makes one-fourteenth of how much Larry Ellison, head of Oracle, pulled in last year. Forbes notes that fewer than 3% of of the country's biggest companies have female CEOs, and while women constitute 46% of the American labor force, they hold only 15% of the top corporate jobs.

But in this unfortunate economic climate, that 15% is still hurting, as Forbes points out that many top women in business, like beleaguered former Morgan Stanley exec Zoe Cruz, have lost their jobs this year. There are, of course, still many impressive business bitches holding it down, including #8 Ho Ching, the head of Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek, #18 Mary Sammons, the CEO of Rite Aid, #19 Andrea Jung, the CEO of Avon, and #60 Judy McGrath, the CEO of MTV.

Angela Merkel is also in good company, with stateswomen like Argentinean President #13 Cristina Fernandez and deposed Myanmar Prime Minister/ Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, not to mention our girl Hillary Clinton at #28.

The list isn't all politicians and businesswomen: Meredith Vieira (#61) edges out Katie Couric (62), Barbara Walters (63), Diane Sawyer (65), and Christine Amanpour (#91) to be the most powerful woman in news, and architect Zaha Hadid comes in at #69. Whatever their professions, however, these women are much more impressive feminist icons than Candace Bushnell or Jenna Jameson.

100 Most Powerful Women [Forbes]

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