Business Insider Edition
A desk symbolizes a leader's presence and executive power. It's where history-making phone calls happen and where legislation becomes official. Most are nothing like ordinary office furniture.
Here are the desks where 12 world leaders work. It's worth noting that the photos of these desks are the most recently available but they may have changed since and many have more than one desk:
Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
According to The White House Museum, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom commissioned the desk from wood that came off an abandoned British ship called the HMS Resolute, whichUS sailors found and returned to England. Victoria gave it to President Rutherford Hayes in 1880.
REUTERS/Handout
Argentina's President Mauricio Macri's desk is located inside the Casa Rosada , or the Pink House, government building in Buenos Aires.
In the photo above, President Macri carried his daughter Antonia away from the desk. Behind him, you can see the chair behind his desk is also ornate, trimmed with gold and covered in blue velvet. It appears to be fairly bare on top of the desk, with a small phone off to the side.
REUTERS/Chris Wattie
Justin Trudeau's desk has sentimental meaning : he uses the desk that his father, Pierre Trudeau, used when he was prime minister from 19681979 and 19801984, according to the CBC.
The switch reportedly happened when the younger Trudeau asked for a smaller desk than the one his predecessor Stephen Harper had used. Harper's desk was placed in storage.
Trudeau's desk was built sometime around 1880, according to the CBC, and was used by former prime ministers Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Lester B. Pearson, Jean Chrtien, and Paul Martin, as well as both Trudeaus.
Reuters
The Kenyan State House in Nairobi houses Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's office, containing his unique desk that features an L-shape that extends to his left.
Kenyatta's mahogany desk reportedly boasts lots of hardware. According to SDE Kenya , he at one point had five telephone headsets, a satellite phone, desk organizers, and more on top of his workspace.
YouTube/CGTN America
Chinese President Xi Jinping's office is not often seen, but the world gets a good look at his office and desk each year for his annual New Year's address, which is posted on YouTube .
His work area appears fairly simple, featuring a red telephone and some family photos. There is no computer, which is not uncommon for presidential desks.
The World Economic Forum pointed out that two books , "The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World" by Pedro Domingos and "Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane" by Brett King, could be identified on his bookshelf in 2018.
Nigeria State House/AP
Aso Villa in Abuja, Nigeria, has been the official location of the Nigerian presidency since 1992. It was built in 1991.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's workspace inside of the villa features a rounded cream desk with green trim and a light green chair. An ornate lamp sits on his left side.
AP Photo/Marcus Brandt, Pool
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's official desk is an imposing, black desk previously owned by her predecessor Gerhard Schrder. She told The Times of London in 2014 that she finds working at the large desk "strange" and often works at a smaller writing table next to it.
The desk is massiveand is topped by a globe, a lamp, a plant, and a computer.
Italian Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
Quirinal Palace is one of the official residences of the Italian president. In it is Italian President Sergio Mattarella's office and desk, which is a deep wood with gold trim and burgundy-tinted top.
Behind him, his chair also has gold trim.
Matti Porre/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Finland has three official presidential residences . Its presidential palace, pictured above, is in Helsinki. Finnish President Sauli Niinist recently showed off his office and desk during his 2019 New Year's speech.
Like many other presidents, his set-up is fairly simple, with a plant to his left and a flag to his right. A painting of boats hangs behind him.
Reuters
For more than 600 years, the Hofburg in Vienna served as the home for the imperial family of Austria. Although the monarchy came to an end during the early 20th century , its influence on the palace's decorations has remained.
Today, the president's office can be found inside the Leopoldine Wing of the palace. Though the office of the president occupies many rooms in the wing, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen is often photographed in this vibrant red room.
The style of the room and the desk is ornate, with lots of gold trim. Portraits of past Austrian monarchs and heads of state fill the room.
Philippe Wojazer/Pool Photo via AP
The lyse Palace has served as the residence of France's presidents since 1873. Though President Emmanuel Macron does not use it every day, he sat behind it while giving a televised speech in December 2018 addressing recent protests about social inequality.
The gilded desk is the most valuable piece of furniture in the palace , according to The Guardian.
Taipei Photojournalists Association/Pool Photo via AP
The president of Taiwan works in the Presidential Office Building in Taipei City.
The photo above show's Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen's desk the day she was sworn in. It's made of dark wood and flanked by two flags.
