Caucasus Mountains: geography, peoples, and natural regions
Mountain system between the Black and Caspian Seas. Overview of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, geology, ecology, human history, notable peaks and passes, and regional importance.
Overview
The Caucasus Mountains form a complex mountain system in the borderland between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The range stretches between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and is customarily divided into the Greater Caucasus to the north and the Lesser Caucasus to the south. For a concise orientation see Caucasus Mountains overview.
Image gallery
10 Images
Geography and geology
The Greater Caucasus arc is the higher and more continuous chain; it is often treated as the geographic boundary between Europe and Asia. The region contains very high peaks, deep valleys and extensive glaciation at altitude. Mount Elbrus in the western Greater Caucasus is often regarded as Europe’s highest summit. These mountains are the product of the ongoing collision between the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates; for geological context consult regional geology and tectonic summaries.
Climate, ecosystems and biodiversity
Climates range from humid, forested slopes on the Black Sea side to drier highlands and semi-arid foothills toward the Caspian Sea. Altitudinal zonation produces distinct habitats: broadleaf and conifer forests, subalpine meadows, alpine tundra and permanent ice above certain elevations. The Caucasus is a recognized biodiversity hotspot with many endemic plants and animals and important corridors for migratory species;see conservation notes.
Human history and cultural landscape
Populated since prehistoric times, the Caucasus has been a crossroads of peoples, languages and empires. Numerous indigenous ethnic groups, many with their own language families, inhabit the highlands and valleys. Historically the mountains contained trade routes, fortified passes and monasteries; modern national boundaries traverse the region, including parts of Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan and fringes of Turkey and Iran. For cultural and historical resources see regional history and ethnolinguistic maps.
Notable features and uses
- Major peaks: Mount Elbrus and other high summits noted for mountaineering and glacier studies; peak list.
- Passes and routes: Strategic mountain passes used historically for trade and military operations and today for roads and rail links.
- Natural resources and services: rivers that supply water to adjacent lowlands, hydroelectric potential, timber and pastures important for local economies.
- Conservation: protected areas, national parks and efforts to preserve endemic species; further reading at conservation portals.
Because of its geological activity, ecological diversity and cultural complexity, the Caucasus remains a region of scientific interest, popular travel and, at times, geopolitical significance.
Location and geography
→ Main article: Greater Caucasus and Lesser Caucasus
The Caucasus is divided into the plains of the North Caucasus, the Great Caucasus, the Transcaucasian Depression, the Little Caucasus and the Talysh Mountains. Drainage is predominantly radial. Longitudinal valleys are rare in the Caucasus. One of the few exceptions is the high valley of Svanetia.
The Great Caucasus is over 1100 kilometers long, up to 180 kilometers wide and in many ways indented. In the very north is the chain of forested Black Mountains (around 600 m). South of it follows the Pasture Ridge (1200 m to 1500 m), then the Rock Ridge (up to 3629 m). South of these ranges the mountain range is divided into four sections: the western Black Sea Caucasus, also called the Pontic Caucasus (600 m to 1200 m), the glaciated High Mountain Caucasus with the highest peaks Elbrus, Shchara and Kazbek (up to 5642 m), in the middle the Surami Mountains (up to 1926 m) and in the east the Caspian Caucasus (500 m to 1000 m). The main range is divided into two halves only by a single, year-round crossing, the Georgian Army Road. The Taman Peninsula and the Abşeron Peninsula form geological continuations of main or secondary ranges, which thereby still extend into the sea. With the Crimean Mountains and the Turkmen-Khorasan Kopet-Dag, the Great Caucasus lies on a folding zone of the Alpidic mountain building, to which, however, it does not border geographically, but is connected by submarine or still relatively shallow fold ridges.
About 100 kilometers to the south lies the Small Caucasus on the territory of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Small Caucasus is not an independent mountain range, but a section of the North Anatolian-North Iranian chain mountains with ceiling construction and young volcanoes. In the southwest it is connected with the Pontic Mountains in the Georgian-Turkish border area, in the southeast the Talysh Mountains on the territory of Iran merge into the Elburs Mountains, and in the south the Armenian Highlands join them. At the Surami Mountains it borders directly on the Great Caucasus. The highest mountain of the Small Caucasus is the Aragaz (4090 m). Gjamysh (3724 m) is also important as a reference mountain. It is covered with firn, but has no glaciers.
Inner Eurasian border
In ancient times, the Caucasus was at times considered the border between Europe and Asia. Since 1735, according to Philipp Johann von Strahlenberg, in the Russian Empire, and later in the USSR, the Kuma-Manych lowland, located about 300 km north of the Great Caucasus, was considered the border between the continents. This representation is also mostly accepted internationally. Since the Caspian Sea was connected with the Black Sea from the Quaternary until about 10,000 years ago (Khalynsk Transgression), the former waterway forms a logical extension of the demarcation between Europe and Asia formed by the Sea of Azov - Black Sea - Bosporus - Sea of Marmara and Dardanelles. In the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, until the last edition, the continental border was still entered after Strahlenberg. Today, the Caucasus ridge is also considered a continental boundary in Russia.
Related articles
Author
AlegsaOnline.com Caucasus Mountains: geography, peoples, and natural regions Leandro Alegsa
URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/17675