Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kosovo
conventional short form: Kosovo
local long form: Republika e Kosoves (Republika Kosovo)
local short form: Kosova (Kosovo)
etymology: name derives from the Serbian "kos" meaning "blackbird," an ellipsis (linguistic omission) for "kosove polje" or "field of the blackbirds"

Government type:
parliamentary republic

Capital:
name: Pristina (Prishtine, Prishtina)
geographic coordinates: 42 40 N, 21 10 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
38 municipalities (komunat, singular - komuna (Albanian); opstine, singular - opstina (Serbian)); Decan (Decani), Dragash (Dragas), Ferizaj (Urosevac), Fushe Kosove (Kosovo Polje), Gjakove (Dakovica), Gjilan (Gnjilane), Gllogovc (Glogovac), Gracanice (Gracanica), Hani i Elezit (Deneral Jankovic), Istog (Istok), Junik, Kacanik, Kamenice (Kamenica), Kline (Klina), Kllokot (Klokot), Leposaviq (Leposavic), Lipjan (Lipljan), Malisheve (Malisevo), Mamushe (Mamusa), Mitrovice e Jug (Juzna Mitrovica) [South Mitrovica], Mitrovice e Veriut (Severna Mitrovica) [North Mitrovica], Novoberde (Novo Brdo), Obiliq (Obilic), Partesh (Partes), Peje (Pec), Podujeve (Podujevo), Prishtine (Pristina), Prizren, Rahovec (Orahovac), Ranillug (Ranilug), Shterpce (Strpce), Shtime (Stimlje), Skenderaj (Srbica), Suhareke (Suva Reka), Viti (Vitina), Vushtrri (Vucitrn), Zubin Potok, Zvecan

Independence:
17 February 2008 (from Serbia)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 17 February (2008)

Constitution:
history: previous 1974, 1990; latest (postindependence) draft finalized 2 April 2008, signed 7 April 2008, ratified 9 April 2008, entered into force 15 June 2008; note - amendment 24, passed by the Assembly in August 2015, established the Kosovo Relocated Specialist Institution, a court established to try war crimes allegedly committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army in the late 1990s
amendments: proposed by the government, by the president of the republic, or by one-fourth of Assembly deputies; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, including two-thirds majority vote of deputies representing non-majority communities, followed by a favorable Constitutional Court assessment; amended several times, last in 2016 (2016)

Legal system:
civil law system; note - the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) retains limited executive powers related to the investigation of such issues as war crimes

International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship:
citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kosovo
dual citizenship recognized: yes
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Hashim THACI (since 7 April 2016)
head of government: Prime Minister Ramush HARADINAJ (since 9 September 2017); note - Prime Minister Isa MUSTAFA lost no-confidence vote on 10 May 2017
cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Assembly
elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly for a 5-year term; if a candidate does not attain a two-thirds threshold in the first two ballots, the candidate winning a simple majority vote in the third ballot is elected (eligible for a second term); election last held on 26 February 2016 (next to be held in 2021); prime minister indirectly elected by the Assembly
election results: Hashim THACI elected president in the third ballot; Assembly vote - Hashim THACI (PDK) 71, Rafet RAMA (PDK) 0, invalid 10; Isa MUSTAFA (LDK) selected prime minister by the president in consultation with the LDK/PDK/PD/LB/PSHDK/PK coalition

Legislative branch:
description: unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi i Kosoves/Skupstina Kosova (120 seats; 100 members directly elected by proportional representation vote with 20 seats reserved for ethnic minorities - 10 for Serbs and 10 for other ethnic minorities; members serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 June 2017 (next to be held in 2021); note - early elections were held after a no-confidence vote on 10 May 2017 led to the dismissal of Prime Minister Isa MUSTAFA
election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - PAN Coalition 33.7%, VV 27.5%, LAA Coalition 25.5%, Serb List 6.1%, KDTP 1.1%, VAKAT 1.1%, other 5%; seats by party/coalition - PAN Coalition 39, VV 32, LAA Coalition 29, Serb List 9, KDTP 2, VAKAT 2, other 7

Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president and NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and 7 judges)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the Kosovo Judicial Council, a 13-member independent body staffed by judges and lay members, and also responsible for overall administration of Kosovo's judicial system; judges appointed by the president of the Republic of Kosovo; judges appointed until mandatory retirement age; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the Kosovo Assembly and appointed by the president of the republic to serve single, 9-year terms
subordinate courts: subordinate courts: Court of Appeals (organized into 4 departments: General, Serious Crime, Commercial Matters, and Administrative Matters; Basic Court (located in 7 municipalities, each with several branches)
note: in August 2015, the Kosovo Assembly approved a constitutional amendment that establishes the Kosovo Relocated Specialist Judicial Institution; the court, located at the Hague in the Netherlands, began operating in late 2016 and tries crimes by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army during the late 1990s

Political parties and leaders:
Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo or PSHDK [Uke BERISHA] Alliance for the Future of Kosovo or AAK [Ramush HARADINAJ] Conservative Party of Kosovo or PK [Munir BASHA] Democratic League of Kosovo or LDK [Isa MUSTAFA] Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK [Kadri VESELI] Independent Liberal Party or SLS [Slobodan PETROVIC] Initiative for Kosovo or NISMA [Fatmir LIMAJ] Justice Party of Kosovo or PD [Ferid AGANI] LAA Coalition [Isa MUSTAFA] (includes LDK, AKR, The Alternative) Movement for Self-Determination (Vetevendosje) or VV [Visar YMERI] Movement for Unification or LB [Valon MURATI] New Kosovo Alliance or AKR [Behgjet PACOLLI] New Kosovo Coalition PAN Coalition [Kadri VESELI] (includes PDK, AAK, NISMA) Self-Determination (Vetevendosje) (Visar YMERI) Serb List [Slavko SIMIC] The Alternative [Mimoza KUSATI-LILA] Turkish Democratic Party of Kosovo or KDTP [Mahir YAGCILAR] Vakat Coalition or VAKAT [Rasim DEMIRI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
CiviKos Platform [Valdete IDRIZI] Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedom or CDHRF [Behxhet SHALA] Group for Political and Legal Studies or GLPS [Fisnik KORENICA] KLA War Veterans Organization [Muharrem XHEMAJLI] Kosova Women's Network or KWN [Igballe ROGOVA] Kosovar Civil Society Foundation or KCFS [Venera HAJRULLAHU] Kosovo Democratic Institute or KDI [Ismet KRYEZIU] Organization for Democracy, Anti-Corruption and Dignity Rise! or COHU [Arton DEMHASAJ] Serb National Council (SNV) Speak Up or FOL [Petrit ZOGAJ] (think tank)

International organization participation:
IBRD, IDA, IFC, IMF, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OIF (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Vlora CITAKU (since 17 September 2015)
chancery: 2175 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: 202-450-2130
FAX: 202-735-0609
consulate(s) general: New York
consulate(s): Des Moines (IA)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gregory T. DELAWIE (since 21 August 2015)
embassy: Arberia/Dragodan, Nazim Hikmet 30, Pristina, Kosovo
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [381] 38 59 59 3000
FAX: [381] 38 549 890

Flag description:
centered on a dark blue field is a gold-colored silhouette of Kosovo surmounted by six white, five-pointed stars arrayed in a slight arc; each star represents one of the major ethnic groups of Kosovo: Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Gorani, Roma, and Bosniaks
note: one of only two national flags that uses a map as a design element; the flag of Cyprus is the other

National symbol(s):
six, five-pointed, white stars; national colors: blue, gold, white

National anthem:
name: "Europe"
lyrics/music: no lyrics/Mendi MENGJIQI
note: adopted 2008; Kosovo chose to exclude lyrics in its anthem so as not to offend the country's minority ethnic groups