Miss Australia, Jennifer Hawkins, was named Miss Universe 2004 in Quito, Ecuador, on Tuesday night.
Hawkins, a 20-year-old blonde with blue eyes, was chosen from among 80 beauty queens, including Miss India Tanushree Dutta.
The three other finalists were Miss Puerto Rico Alba Reyes, second runner-up; Miss Paraguay Yanina Gonzalez, third runner-up and Miss Trinidad & Tobago Danielle Jones, fourth runner-up.
Hawkins received the crown from Miss Universe 2003, Amelia Vega, from the Dominican Republic.
The finalists were announced after 10 semi-finalists, including Tanushree Dutta, paraded in swimsuits before nearly 75,00 spectators and a panel of judges that included musician Emilio Estefan, actress Bo Derek and supermodel Petra Nemcova.
The event, broadcast live around the world, was seen by nearly 1.5 billion viewers in 180 countries.