A peek into where heads of various countries reside across the globe

As the US presidential elections are now over, the focus is now on the White House. The grand White House is the official residence and workplace of the US President and each country has an official space to accommodate its head of state and family. But what about the heads of other countries? Take a look.

Rashtrapati Bhavan 

The Rashtrapati Bhavan is the official residence of the President of India and the Presidential estate is spread across 350 acres of land. The four-storey majestic building occupies five acres of land and has 340 rooms. The entire corridors of the Rashtrapati Bhavan would stretch close to 2.5km. The Bhavan has a 190-acre garden, nine tennis courts, one cricket and polo grounds and a golf course. The edifice was inaugurated as the Viceroy’s House in 1931. 

The White House will pale before the Rashtrapati Bhavan as according to a 2016 survey conducted by realty website ‘Hatch’, the latter was worth Rs 3,500 crore and the former was worth only Rs 258 crore. 

White House 

The US administration is also generally addressed as White House. The Oval Office is the US President’s office inside the White House, which has a floor area of 55,000 sq ft. All the US presidents, except the first president George Washington, had stayed at the White House. The second president John Adams and his family were the first to stay in this imposing building on November 1, 1800. The edifice was earlier known as Executive Mansion and President’s House and it was the then-president Theodore Roosevelt who suggested the name ‘White House’ in 1901.  

Elysee Palace 

Elysee Palace is the official abode of the French presidents. Though the building was completed in 1722, the presidents started living there only from 1873. 

Istana Nurul Iman 

Istana Nurul Iman is the official residential address of Brunei Sultan, known as one of the wealthiest royals in the world. The mammoth mansion, built in 1984, has a whopping 1,800 rooms. 

Imperial Palace

The Emperor of Japan lives at the Imperial Palace, which had been the royal family’s residence since 1888. The official residence of the Prime Minister of Japan is Sori Daijin Kantei. 

Zhongnanhai 

Zhongnanhai is where the Chinese Prime Minister stays. It is also the central headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party. This grandiose building is worth Rs 2.63 lakh crore and tops the chart as the world’s costliest residence.  

7, Lok Kalyan Marg 

The Prime Minister of India’s office is situated in South Block, which is near the Rashtrapati Bhavan. 7, Lok Kalyan Marg (earlier 7, Race Course Road) is the official residence of the Prime Minister in New Delhi. The residence is situated in a perimeter of 2.8km and is one of the highly secured places in the country with infra-red security measures. 

Grand Kremlin Palace 

This was the palace of the Tsars and is now the official residence of the President of Russia. The regal building has a floor area of 25,000 sqm. 

White Palace 

This is where the President of Turkey lives. The palace has more than 1,000 rooms and is 50 times bigger than the White House. 

10, Downing Street 

This is the official residence of the British Prime Minister. The building was completed in 1684 and became the official residence of the UK Prime Minister in 1735. And Buckingham Palace is where the British Queen resides. The palace is the official place of stay for the British royal family after Victoria became the Queen in 1837. 

Blue House 

The Blue House is the official home of the President of South Korea. The structure got its name from the blue tiles paved on the floor. 

La Casa Rosada 

This is the official mansion of the President of Argentina. It is also known as ‘Pink House’. 

The Apostolic Palace 

The Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, houses the Apostolic Palace, which is the official residence of the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church. 

Other prominent residences of Presidents and Prime Ministers 

Pakistan President: Aiwan-e-Sadr

Pakistan Prime Minister: Prime Minister House 

Australian Prime Minister: Kirribilli House 

Canadian Prime Minister: 24 Sussex Drive 

German President: Bellevue Palace 

Israeli Prime Minister: Beit Aghion

South African President: Mahlamba Ndlopfu