© Shutterstock

Koto -

The koto is the national instrument of Japan. A plucked half-tube zither instrument, the ancestor of the koto was the Chinese guzheng, introduced to Japan in the 7th century. The strings of the koto are made from silk.

© Shutterstock

Bandoneón -

The national instrument of Argentina is the bandoneón. It differs from other concertinas and accordions by having an almost perfect square shape. The instrument is considered the sound and soul of tango, and is included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

© Getty Images

Alphorn -

The national instrument of Switzerland, the alphorn has long been an instrument used by Alpine herdsmen and villagers, originally employed to call cows from pastures and into the barn at milking time. With no slide, flaps, or valves, it takes skill to produce melodies from this elongated horn, made from the wood of the red pine tree.

© Getty Images

English concertina -

The English concertina made its first appearance in 1829, and represented the first instrument of what would become the concertina family. It was initially used for playing classical music. However, by the time of the English folk revival of the 1960s, the instrument was a preferred choice of folk and later soft rock musicians.

© Shutterstock

Berimbau -

Though originating in Angola, the berimbau, a musical bow, is intrinsic to Brazilian musical culture. The instrument is an important part of the candomblé tradition, and was later incorporated into the Afro-Brazilian martial art-dance known as capoeira.

© Shutterstock

Angklung -

A traditional musical instrument from Indonesia, the angklung is made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. Its place as the country's national instrument was highlighted in 2010 when musicians achieved the new Guinness World Record for the largest angklung ensemble, with a staggering 15,110 players uniting to collectively play this ancient instrument. Furthermore, UNESCO has officially recognized the Indonesian angklung as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

© Getty Images

Cuatro -

The cuatro is a family of cherished traditional Latin American stringed instruments, derived from the Spanish guitar. In this image, students lift their cuatros during the national day of the musical instrument in Caracas, Venezuela.

© Getty Images

Gayageum -

The traditional Korean instrument known as the gayageum is a type of zither. It's played both in the south and north of the Korean Peninsula, helping to bridge the musical and cultural divide.

© Getty Images

Bouzouki -

The music produced by the long-necked plucked bouzouki is considered the sound of Greece. Its distinctive form dates back to the Byzantine era.

© Shutterstock

Great Highland bagpipe -

A type of bagpipe native to Scotland but played in pipe bands throughout the world, the Great Highland bagpipe produces one of the most extraordinary and evocative sounds to the ear.

© Shutterstock

Charango -

A type of guitar originating in South America in the 1700s, the charango can be considered the national instrument of Bolivia, though it's also traditionally played in the Andean regions of Peru, Ecuador, and northern Chile.

© Shutterstock

Guqin -

The Guqin, a seven-string zither-like musical instrument, has been played in China for over 3,000 years. It represents China's foremost solo musical instrument tradition and, according to UNESCO, is inseparable from Chinese intellectual history.

© Shutterstock

Banjo -

While the United States does not have an official, federally recognized national instrument, the banjo has long held a place as the de facto choice.

© Shutterstock

Marimba -

A percussion instrument with its roots in Africa, the marimba is typical of Guatemala. Xylophone-like in design, the traditional marimba features on its underside the hard shells of gourds. These serve as resonators that when struck with mallets produce sound. In this photograph, the gourds have been replaced by wooden bars.

© Getty Images

Lijerica -

Croatia's national instrument is the lijerica, a pear-shaped, three-stringed instrument that is played with a bow. It's especially associated with folk music.

© Shutterstock

Mandolin -

A stringed musical instrument in the lute family, the mandolin in fact evolved from the lute in the 15th century. During the 1700s and 1800s, the instrument became popular in Italy, but Naples is credited for creating the deep-bowled mandolin, which became a favorite in the 19th century.

© Getty Images

Castanet -

While the Spanish classical guitar has influenced the design of all sorts of similar stringed instruments, it is the castanet that's regarded as Spain's national instrument. In ancient Greece and ancient Rome there was a similar instrument called the crotalum.

© Getty Images

Cimbalom -

The cimbalom dates back to the mid-19th century and Budapest, where this type of chordophone (musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings) was invented. Besides Hungary, where it's honored as the national instrument, the cimbalom is regularly played in Slovakia, Moravia, Romania, and Ukraine.

© Shutterstock

Tres « -

The tres is responsible for producing some of the most recognized music in Cuba. Developed from the 19th-century Spanish guitar, this instrument has become a defining characteristic of the son cubano musical genre.

© Shutterstock

Rondador -

Ecuador's national instrument is the rondador, a single-ranked panpipe with eight to 30 pipes, all of which are closed at one end.

© Getty Images

Veena -

The veena is any of various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. The instrument plays an important role in Hindustani classical music and Carnatic classical music, from north and south India, respectively.

© Getty Images

Portuguese guitar -

The tear-drop shaped Portuguese guitar is an essential musical element in the history of fado. A plucked stringed instrument with 12 steel strings, it's played together with a classical guitar, with both instruments accompanying a singer. In 2011, fado was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

© Getty Images

Celtic harp -

The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is Ireland's national instrument, where it's known as the cláirseach.

© Getty Images

Kantele -

In Finland, the kantele is regarded as the country's national instrument. A plucked string instrument, the kantele's design ranges from a five-string example up to the impressive 38-stringed concert version.

© Shutterstock

Waldzither -

Germany's national instrument is the waldzither, which translates into English as the "forest zither." Its status was established in the first half of the 20th century, when more complicated instruments were hard to obtain and to afford. The nine-string waldzither belongs to the family of citterns, one of which Martin Luther was popularly said to have played at Wartburg Castle.

© Getty Images

Bandura -

Musicians who play the bandura, Ukraine's national instrument, are referred to as bandurists. Interestingly, the instrument was first noted in a 6th-century Greek chronicle in a reference to warriors from Ukrainian territories who played the lute-like instruments.

© Shutterstock

Balalaika -

The national instrument of the Russian Federation is the balalaika, recognized around the world for its characteristic triangular, wooden, hollow body, fretted neck, and three strings. The instrument is mainly used in Russian folk music and to accompany patriotic dancing.

© Getty Images

Daf -

Pakistan claims the daf as its national musical instrument. But this ancient frame drum is ubiquitous in Iran, Uzbekistan, and other central Asian countries.

© Shutterstock

Rabab -

The rabab is the national musical instrument of Afghanistan, where it has been played for centuries. A short-necked, double-chambered lute-like instrument, the rabab is also popular in northwest India and Pakistan.

© Shutterstock

Balafon -

The many different traditional instruments played across the African continent is simply bewildering. The balafon, a gourd-resonated xylophone, is regarded as the national instrument of Ghana, but is used widely across West Africa, from Guinea to Mali.

Sources: (UNESCO) (Guinness World Records) (The Stringed Instrument Database) 

See also: The earliest musical instruments of note

© Shutterstock