That's definitely over-simplistic, Ted and Guest, and, frankly, the following leans a bit that way, too - but less so ("wait" no more):

The lute evolved into several instruments in several lands - the mandolin in Italy, the bouzouki in Greece (which, pleasingly, the Greeks bore as musical-gifts during the Athens Olympics), the cittern in England, the balalaika in Russia, the guitar in Spain, eventually, the ukulele in Hawaii, etc. (All elements of our beautifully multicultural world, that's for sure.)