Alive and kicking at 116

London: A 116-year-old Ecuadorean woman was declared the oldest person in the world on Friday, Guinness World Records said.

Maria Esther Capovilla was confirmed as the oldest living person after her family sent details of her birth and marriage certificates to Guinness World Records.

"We only told her on Monday she was the new Guinness World Record holder," Kate White, brand manager at the records publisher said.

"She's in very good health, she's got good sight, is able to read the papers and watch television, and doesn't walk with a stick," White added.

Capovilla was born in Guayaqull in western Ecuador on September 14, 1889, and lives with her daughter-in-law and son.

She has five children, four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Her husband died in 1949.

"Capovilla said she disliked the fact that presently it's acceptable for women to pursue men. And she said that every day she thanks God that she's alive," White said.

As a girl at the turn of the century one of Capovilla's favorite pastimes was going to parties, where she never drank alcohol.

At the time it was the custom for women just to touch the rim of the glass with their lips without drinking, as a sign of accepting hospitality, her family told Guinness World Records.