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114-Year-Old Brazilian Woman Named World’s Oldest Person

18 May 2011 23:29 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. A 114-year-old Brazilian woman has been identified as the world’s oldest living person, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.

Record-tracking organization Guinness World Records named the new titleholder, Maria Gomes Valentim, on Wednesday.

Guinness says Valentim attributes her longevity to a healthy diet. It says she eats a roll of bread every morning with coffee and fruit, and treats herself occasionally to a glass of wine.

Guinness says Valentim was born on July 9, 1896, in Carangola in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. She has lived there all her life.
At 114 years and 313 days, Valentim is 48 days older than the world’s previous known oldest person, American Besse Cooper. Cooper, of the U.S. state of Georgia, will now hold the title of oldest living North American.

The editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, Craig Glenday, said Valentim represents an unprecedented accomplishment for Brazil.

The organization says it has received several claims from potential Brazilian "super centenarians," but none were ratified because of a lack of evidence and documentation.

She married Joao Valentim in 1913, and was widowed in 1946. They had one son. Her family also included four grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.