A crescent-shaped country in southeast Europe, Croatia extends from the fertile plains of the Danube to the mountainous coast of the Adriatic Sea. In the Adriatic, Croatia has 1,185 islands-many are major tourist areas. The 1991-95 civil war between Croats and Serbs caused massive damage to cities and industries. War halted the tourist trade and drastically cut industrial output, including a lucrative ship-building business. Since the war, Croatia has progressed politically and economically; it applied for European Union membership in 2003.
Croatia is rich in folkloric music, including a well-known polyphonic choral tradition. This choral tradition was particularly popular during the communist era, when large women's choirs were sponsored by the state. The best-known of these Croatian folkloric ensembles is Lado, who survived the collapse of both communist Yugoslavia and the war-torn 1990s intact.
Croatia's other great folk music tradition is the tumburica and tamburica bands. The tamburica is a lute-like instrument similar to the turkish saz and is the national instrument of Croatia. Picked or strummed, played solo or in a huge ensemble of other tamburica players, the instrument accompanies everything from lively folk dances to sentimental ballads. Zagreb-based band Ex-Pannonia are the most visible tamburica artists on the international stage.
