Croatia Overview:
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. -- National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
