Oirats (, "ойрд",
Oird; in the past, also
Eleuths) are the westernmost group of the
Mongols whose ancestral home is in the
Altai region of western
Mongolia. Although the Oirats originated in the eastern parts of
Central Asia, the most prominent group today is located in
Kalmykia, a
federal subject of
Russia, where they are called
Kalmyks.