I was going to post about her life and what is she doing right now in Germany. You beat me so I'll just complete a little bit your very well done post.
The first detail I think you should had included is her ocupation before being a chancellor of Germany. Which was being a member of the Bundestag Gabinet. Afterwards she became Minister for the Environment and Nuclear Safety, which gave her greater political visibility and a platform on which to build her political career.
That was the beginning of a stellar carrer...