Republic of Kalmykiya

Kalmykia is a republic in the south-eastern part of the Russian Federation, between the Volga and Don rivers. One of the most interesting facts about this small country is that most of the population are Buddhists. The country’s landscape is dominated by steppes and mountains, which enables horse and sheep breeding. The main natural resource is oil. Elista, the capital city, has a university.

For further reading, there are the country’s official website (http://kalm.ru/en), that of the Kalmyk embassy (http://www.kalmykiaembassy.ru/html/eindex.html)
details on political & economic situation (New Yorker magazine)
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/04/24/060424fa_fact4
or Bob Iverson’s site that also has a wealth of links (http://www.bobiverson.com/kalmykia/)