The Republic of Kalmykia is a federal subject of the Russian Federation, and the only majority Buddhist region in Europe. Its capital is Elista. Kalmykia was established in 1957, originally a land of Oirats and the Crimean Khanate. Today, it has 289,481 people, with Kalmyk and Russian as the languages and Buddhism as the dominant religion.
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The location of Kalmykia
Kalmykia was originally the Kalmyk ASSR in the Soviet Union until 31 March 1992, when it became a republic within the Russian Federation. With its capital at Elista, Kalmykia was unique in that it was the only European region where the majority of the population practiced Buddhism. 37.6% of the population was Buddhist, 26% non-religious, 20% Orthodox Christian, 4% Sunni Muslim, 3% Tengri, .4% Hindu, and 9% others. In 2010, Kalmykia had a population of 289,481 people, with 57.4% being Kalmyks, 30.2% Russians, 2.7% Dargins, 1.2% Chechens, 1.7% Kazakhs, 1.3% Turks, .8% Avars, .5% Ukrainians, and .4% Germans. Kalmykia produced coal, oil, and natural gas as its resources, and its temperature ranged from 23 degrees in January to 75 degrees in July.
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