SANYA, Dec. 10(AP) -- A Norwegian model with a Thai mother. A high school student from Mongolia. A Jamaican woman training to be a veterinary surgeon in Cuba.

They're among the 102 contestants who were vying to be Miss World 2005 on Saturday at the southern Chinese beach resort of Sanya.

Last year's winner was Julia Mantilla Garcia, an aspiring high school teacher from Peru.

The organizers said this year's field is a worldly bunch of ladies, with more than half of them speaking three or more languages. The crown for Miss Multi-lingual should be shared by Inna Mariam Patty, a 22-year-old university student of administration from Ghana, and Valerija Sevcuka, 20, a business student from Latvia. They each speak six languages, the organizers said.

When asked who she would like to be stranded with on a deserted island, Miss Namibia's Leefa Shilkwa Leefa, 23, said Hollywood action star Vin Diesel, according to the contest's Web site. Miss Zambia _ Precious Kabungo Mumbi, 23, a sociology major _ said American TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Miss Scotland, a 23-year-old flight attendant named Aisling Nuala Friel, said she'd like to be stuck with British tycoon Richard Branson.

The other candidates include Helene Traasavik, a 19-year-old model from Norway who frequently goes to Thailand to visit her mother's family. Her motto: "Never stop dreaming because with eyes in the stars and feet on the ground you can achieve anything. Nothing is impossible, only challenging," according to the contest Web site.

Also competing is Khongorzul Ganbat, a 17-year-old Mongolian high school student who wants to be an ear, nose and throat doctor.

Miss Jamaica, Terri-Karelle Griffith, 23, is studying to be a veterinary surgeon in Cuba. She said her motto is, "Never be content with someone else's definition of you. Instead define yourself by your own beliefs, truths and understanding."