Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ectly elected (but more figurehead) president is Ivo Josipovi
ć
(whose first term ex-
pires in 2015).
Flag:
The flag has three horizontal bands (red on top, white, and blue) with a tradi-
tional red-and-white checkerboard shield in the center.
The Average Croatian:
The average Croatian will live to age 76 and have 1.4 chil-
dren.OneinfourusestheInternet.TheaverageCroatianabsolutelyadoresthesoccer
team Dinamo Zagreb and absolutely despises Hajduk Split...or vice versa.
Notable Croatians:
A pair of big-league historical figures were born in Croatia: Ro-
man Emperor
Diocletian
(
A.D.
245-313) and—supposedly—explorer
Marco Polo
(1254?-1324). More recently, many Americans whose names end in “-ich” have
Croatian roots, including actor
John Malkovich
and Ohio politicians
Dennis Ku-
cinich
and
John Kasich,
not to mention baseball legend
Roger
Marich...I mean,
Maris.
More Croatian athletes abound: tennis star
Goran Ivaniševi
ć
is internation-
ally known; NBA fans might recognize
Toni Kuko
č
or
Gordan Giricek;
and at
the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympic Games, the women's downhill skiing events
were dominated by
Janica Kosteli
ć
(her brother
Ivica Kosteli
ć
medaled in 2006 and
2010). Actor
Goran Višnji
ć
(from TV's
ER
) was born and raised in Croatia, and
