It is perhaps no real surprise that Angela Merkel has been awarded the prestigious title of TIME Magazine's 'Person of the Year'.

The German Chancellor was highlighted for her role in Europe's crises over migration and Greek debt, and praised for her "steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply".

And if anyone was left wondering as to whether or not she deserves the accolade, the magazine points to this one, powerful statement: “In many regions war and terror prevail. States disintegrate. For many years we have read about this. We have heard about it. We have seen it on TV. But we had not yet sufficiently understood that what happens in Aleppo and Mosul can affect Essen or Stuttgart. We have to face that now.”

Ms Merkel spoke powerfully on the need for EU members to act to help refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and has pledged to take in 1 million asylum-seekers by the end of December.

TIME also mentioned Russia's intervention in Ukraine, and quoted Ms Merkel's response to questions over her decision to answer the incursion with economic sanctions rather than military force.

“You know I grew up in the GDR,” she told a security conference in Munich in February. “As a 7-year-old child, I saw the Wall being erected.

"No one - although it was a stark violation of international law - believed at the time that one ought to intervene militarily in order to protect citizens of the GDR and whole Eastern bloc of the consequences of that, namely to live in lack of freedom for many, many years.

Shortlist for the Time 2015 Person of the Year Show all 8 1 /8 Shortlist for the Time 2015 Person of the Year Shortlist for the Time 2015 Person of the Year Angela Merkel As German chancellor, Angela Merkel has been at the center of major news events this year, from economic strife in the Eurozone to Europe’s ongoing migrant crisis Shortlist for the Time 2015 Person of the Year Caitlyn Jenner Caitlyn Jenner's coming out as a transgender woman prompted widespread conversations about gender identity and issues of equality for the LGBT community Shortlist for the Time 2015 Person of the Year Vladimir Putin As president of Russia, Vladimir Putin has defied Western sanctions over his country’s military activity in Ukraine to play a critical but precarious role in the war on ISIS Shortlist for the Time 2015 Person of the Year Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi As leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has inspired followers to both fight in his self-declared caliphate of Iraq and Syria, and also stage attacks in countries like Tunisia and France Shortlist for the Time 2015 Person of the Year Donald Trump Donald Trump's populist rhetoric has made him frontrunner in the race for the Republican presidential candidacy and stirred debate about the party’s future Shortlist for the Time 2015 Person of the Year Hassan Rouhani As president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani is seeking to bring his country out of pariah status and repair its sanctions-crippled economy by pursuing a nuclear deal with the West Shortlist for the Time 2015 Person of the Year Travis Kalanick Travis Kalanick, the CEO of Uber drove his car-hailing company to a nearly $70 billion valuation, but also drew criticism about the downside of the sharing economy Shortlist for the Time 2015 Person of the Year Black Lives Matter activists They have protested inequality towards African Americans, especially in their treatment by law enforcement

"And I don’t actually mind. Because I understand this, because it was a realistic assessment that this would not lead to success.”

Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was named runner-up in the diverse competition, and third place went to controversial Republican US presidential candidate, Donald Trump.