Perusing that map I very helpfully posted, several readers have expressed curiosity about the regions marked as “Nogay” in a rather fetching shade of cerulean.

My advisor on Caucasian matters tells me the only thing he knows about these regions — which are, after all, very remote — is that they contain practically no good antique stores, the supermarkets do not stock Macadamia nuts, and the quiche is terrible.