The last two months have been full of goodbyes for Merkel. Here she waves as she departed the chancellery for the last time having formally handed the reins to Olaf Scholz, on the day he took the oath of office in the Bundestag.

After Germany's federal election in September, Merkel was no longer a member of the Bundestag. Though she stayed on as caretaker chancellor until a new government was finalized, protocol decreed she had to watch Wednesday's proceedings from the viewing gallery.

International leaders like former US President Barack Obama have said publicly how much they appreciated Merkel's leadership. Colleagues at home made it clear that they felt that way too, with members of the Bundestag clapping for the first woman to lead the German government.

Merkel's successor Olaf Scholz gave his former boss a large bouquet to bid her farewell. They were not campaign rivals, as Merkel had already chosen to step down before the election. And although they are from different parties, they governed together in two coalitions, with Scholz most recently serving as her vice chancellor and finance minister.

Before leaving office, Merkel made a point of bringing Scholz with her to meet foreign leaders and to major meetings such as the G20 summit. Merkel said it was important for the global community to know there would be continuity despite a change of government in Germany.

Merkel's famous stance, with her hands together in a diamond shape, is known as the "Merkel rhombus" or "power rhombus" in Germany. It was a sign of her steadiness and unchanging demeanor, but also indicative of a politician who would rather get to work than worry about photoshoots. Merkel, who has never courted the limelight outside of politics, may well be happy to have the latter behind her.

On November 22, 2005, Merkel ended up holding two bouquets, one a gift to her and the other awkwardly passed back to her by her predecessor Gerhard Schröder. Schröder and Merkel have not had the kind of relationship she is likely to have with Scholz going forward. He has often criticized her publicly, and she has tried to distance herself from his close ties with Russian leaders and businessmen.

Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl and other political insiders once called her his "girl." Merkel stepped out of his shadow in 2001, when she led the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) in the opposition. But her real moment came in 2005.

In the 2005 general election, the CDU, along with its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, eked out a win over the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), led by then-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. It was actually the CDU's worst election performance in its history and an inauspicious start for Merkel, but she hit the ground running.

The CDU and SPD formed a "grand coalition" government and Merkel became the first woman, first former East German and the first scientist to become chancellor — as well as the youngest person ever to hold the position.

Merkel quickly showed prowess. At the G8 summit in 2007, she welcomed the leaders of the eight largest economies to Heiligendamm, on the Baltic Sea. She joked around with then-US President George W. Bush (left) and Russia's Vladimir Putin (right).

On the European political stage in the fall of 2008, Merkel had to share the spotlight with the big male egos of French President Nicolas Sarkozy (front) and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The growing financial crisis quickly became the European Union's most pressing concern.

The public debt of some European Union member states kept growing, threatening the very existence of the euro as a currency. Merkel's offer to help came with austerity demands. That did not go down well, especially in Greece, where newspapers ran images comparing the moment to Nazi Germany's occupation in World War II.

Merkel is not the best orator. Her speeches are often halting and she rarely goes into depth on policy. Yet her quiet pragmatism and sober modesty have won wide appeal. That has helped her run four governments.

At some point in her long tenure, Merkel went from chancellor of the country to mother of the nation. She was sometimes referred to by supporters and opponents alike as "Mutti," a rather old-fashioned word for "mom." It can be meant a little sarcastically, but it's often also said with affection, as in this Merkel supporter's poster, a play on words that translates as "fully Mutti-vated."

Few of Merkel's statements have had such a lasting impact as the one above. The chancellor won widespread praise in 2015 for staying committed to the EU's open-border policy and allowing more than 1 million migrants and refugees, many escaping the Syrian war, to enter Germany and the bloc. A vocal minority, however, pushed back against open migration.

Time magazine named Merkel its "Person of the Year" in 2015, and even "chancellor of the free world." She has shown her mettle in the face of multiple crises, whether financial, social or political.

Merkel is discreet. She remains silent on her personal thoughts about less agreeable leaders, and deals with them as a matter of state interest.

Merkel knows what a liter of milk costs, and years leading the country seem not to have gone to her head. Here in 2014, she visited a Berlin supermarket with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. It's not unusual to spot the chancellor doing the grocery shopping on her own in downtown Berlin.

Merkel is known for holding her hands together in a diamond shape. She has said it helps her stand up straight. And it has helped the CDU: The party used the diamond symbol on campaign posters for the 2013 general election. It became synonymous with trust and calm.

Merkel is a very private person. The public knows little more than the fact that her husband, Joachim Sauer, is also a scientist. The two have spent many Easters on the Italian island of Ischia. Due to the global travel slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was the obvious exception.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed much more in Germany than Merkel's travel habits. The country — and other nations — turned to her for answers in the crisis. Her serious, fact-based style has boosted her popularity.

Two years ago, Merkel made clear that she would not seek reelection in 2021. When she goes, she'll have served for 16 years — matching the record of her mentor Helmut Kohl, Germany's longest-serving chancellor.