Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic elected Croatia's first woman president

In January 2015, Croatia (formerly of the Yugoslav Republic) elected its first woman president.  Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic won slightly more than ½ of the votes in the election earlier this year.  Grabar-Kitarovic is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and she is the former foreign minister of Croatia.  In the election, Grabar-Kitarovic received 50.5% of the vote while incumbent Ivo Josipovic received 49.5% of the votes.
On July 1, 2013, Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union.  The 2008-2009 global financial crisis drastically affected Croatia.  The country, which is located along the Adriatic Sea, is known for natural beauty and picturesque coastlines.  Since 2009, Croatia’s economy has been in recession.  The unemployment rate in Croatia is almost 20%.  Presently, shipbuilding is a primary component of the Croatian economy.
Facts about Croatia:
Population: 4,464,844 (July 2015 est.)
Area: Slightly smaller than West Virginia
Capital: Zagreb
Languages: Croatian (official) 95.6%, Serbian 1.2%
Religions: Roman Catholic 86.3%, Orthodox 4.4%, Muslim 1.5%
Sources: www.bbc.com, www.cia.gov

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