Earth to Kalmykia, come in please
When you can find an odder spot on the globe than Kalmykia, let us know. Herein, a potted history of a peculiar place (and we are not making this up)
IF YOU believe the country's constitution, the Russian Federation consists of cities, regions and republics: 89 in all. Somewhere among them is Kalmykia, a Scotland-sized piece of steppe bordering the Caspian Sea. Officially, Kalmykia is a self-governing “ethnic” republic. But actually, as its few—very few—visitors will testify, Kalmykia is more a state of mind.
This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “Earth to Kalmykia, come in please”
From the December 20th 1997 edition
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