Greater Caucasus
Encyclopedia
Greater Caucasus sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range
of the Caucasus Mountains
.
It stretches for about 1200 kilometres (745.6 mi) from west-northwest to east-southeast, between the Taman Peninsula
of the Black Sea
to the Absheron Peninsula of the Caspian Sea
: from the Western Caucasus
in the vicinity of Sochi
on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea and reaching nearly to Baku
on the Caspian.
The range is traditionally separated into three parts:
and Western Asia. The European part north of the watershed is known as Ciscaucasia
, the Asiatic part to the south as Transcaucasia.
The border of Russia
with Georgia
and Azerbaijan
runs along the most of the Caucasus' length. The Georgian Military Road
(Darial Gorge
) and Trans-Caucasus Highway
traverse this mountain range at an altitudes of up to 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft).
in the north and the Ottoman Empire
and Persia
in the south in 1801, until the Russian victory in 1813 and the Treaty of Gulistan which moved the border of the Russian Empire well within Transcaucasia.
The border between Russia
and Georgia
still follows the watershed almost exactly (with the exception of a narrow strip of territory in northern Mtskheta-Mtianeti
and northwestern Kakheti
where Georgia extends north of the watershed), while Azerbaijan
in its northeastern corner has five districts north of the watershed (Davachi, Khachmaz, Quba, Qusar, Siazan).
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
of the Caucasus Mountains
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region .The Caucasus Mountains includes:* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains....
.
It stretches for about 1200 kilometres (745.6 mi) from west-northwest to east-southeast, between the Taman Peninsula
Taman peninsula
The Taman Peninsula is a peninsula in the present-day Krasnodar Krai of Russia. It is bounded on the north by the Sea of Azov, on the west by the Strait of Kerch and on the south by the Black Sea. The peninsula has evolved over the past two millennia from a chain of islands into the peninsula it is...
of the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
to the Absheron Peninsula of the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
: from the Western Caucasus
Western Caucasus
The Western Caucasus is a western region of the Caucasus in Southern Russia, extending from the Black Sea to Mount Elbrus.-World Heritage Site:...
in the vicinity of Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea and reaching nearly to Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
on the Caspian.
The range is traditionally separated into three parts:
- Western CaucasusWestern CaucasusThe Western Caucasus is a western region of the Caucasus in Southern Russia, extending from the Black Sea to Mount Elbrus.-World Heritage Site:...
, from the Black Sea to Mount ElbrusMount ElbrusMount Elbrus is an inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus, in Russia... - Central Caucasus, from Mount Elbrus to Mount Kazbek
- Eastern Caucasus, from Mount Kazbek to the Caspian SeaCaspian SeaThe Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
Europe—Asia boundary
The watershed of the Caucasus is also considered the boundary between Eastern EuropeEastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and Western Asia. The European part north of the watershed is known as Ciscaucasia
Ciscaucasia
Ciscaucasia , also Ciscaucasus or Fore-Caucasus, is a part of the Caucasus region, and of the North Caucasus in particular.The region is at the northern foothills of the Greater Caucasus range, from the Sea of Azov in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east, separated from the East European Plain...
, the Asiatic part to the south as Transcaucasia.
The border of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
with Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
runs along the most of the Caucasus' length. The Georgian Military Road
Georgian Military Road
The Georgian Military Road is the historic name for a major route through the Caucasus from Georgia to Russia. Alternative routes across the mountains include the Ossetian Military Road and the Transkam.-Route:...
(Darial Gorge
Darial Gorge
The Darial Gorge is the gorge on the border between Russia and Georgia. It is at the east base of Mount Kazbek, pierced by the river Terek for a distance of 8 metres between vertical walls of rock and is located South of present-day...
) and Trans-Caucasus Highway
Trans-Caucasus Highway
The Transcaucasian Highway, usually shortened as Transkam , is a mountain road that crosses the Greater Caucasus through the Roki Tunnel, connecting North Ossetia-Alania with South Ossetia and Russia with Georgia. It was constructed between 1971 and 1981 as an alternative to the older Georgian...
traverse this mountain range at an altitudes of up to 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft).
Watershed
The watershed of the Caucasus was the border between the Caucasia province of the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in the north and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and Persia
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
in the south in 1801, until the Russian victory in 1813 and the Treaty of Gulistan which moved the border of the Russian Empire well within Transcaucasia.
The border between Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
still follows the watershed almost exactly (with the exception of a narrow strip of territory in northern Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Mtskheta-Mtianeti is a region in eastern Georgia comprising the town of Mtskheta, which serves as a regional capital, together with its district and the adjoining mountainous areas.- External links :...
and northwestern Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
where Georgia extends north of the watershed), while Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
in its northeastern corner has five districts north of the watershed (Davachi, Khachmaz, Quba, Qusar, Siazan).
Peaks
- Mount ElbrusMount ElbrusMount Elbrus is an inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus, in Russia...
, 5642 m, 43°21′18"N 42°26′21"E is the highest mountain in EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. - Dykh-TauDykh-TauDykh-Tau or Dykhtau , is a mountain located in Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia; its peak stands about north of the border with Georgia.The mountain is the second highest of the Caucasus Mountains, after Mount Elbrus.-Access:...
, 5205 m, 43°3′N 43°8′E - Koshtan-TauKoshtan-TauKoshtan-Tau , is the highest peak of the Koshtan massif of the central Caucasus Mountains in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic of Russia, near the border with Georgia.-References:...
, 5151 m, 43.05°N 43.2167°E - Shota Rustaveli PeakShota Rustaveli PeakShota Rustaveli is a mountain in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, straddling the border of Svaneti and Kabardino-Balkaria . The elevation of the mountain is 4,860 meters . Shota Rustaveli is generally considered to be the 9th highest peak of the Caucasus...
, 4859 m, 43.02592°N 43.04349°E - ShkharaShkharaShkhara , is the highest point in the nation of Georgia. Located in the Svaneti region along the Russian frontier, Shkhara lies north of the city of Kutaisi, Georgia's second largest city. The summit lies in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, to the south-east of Mount...
, 5201 m, 43.01°N 43.17°E - Kazbek, 5047 m, 42°41′51"N 44°31′08"E
- TebulosmtaTebulosmtaTebulosmta is the highest mountain of the Eastern Caucasus and the highest mountain of the Chechen Republic at an elevation of 4,493 meters above sea level. The mountain is located on the border of Georgia and Chechnya to the east of Mount Kazbek...
, 4493 m, 42.64°N 45.32°E - DiklosmtaDiklosmtaDiklosmta is a peak in the eastern part of the Caucasus Mountains in between border of Chechnya, Dagestan and Tusheti region of Georgia, on the border with Russia. It is located on the Pirikita Range which lies to the north of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range. The elevation of the summit is ...
, 4285 m, 42.55°N 45.80°E - Bazardüzü, 4466 m, 41.27°N 47.79°E
- Babadag, 3629 m, 41.05°N 48.29°E
- Katyn-Tau, 4979 m, 43.03069°N 43.03555°E
- Pushkin, 5033 m, 43.01422°N 43.07001°E
- JangaJangaDzhangi-Tau or Jangi-Tau is a summit in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range. It lies on the border of Svaneti and Kabardino-Balkaria . The elevation of the mountain is above sea level. The slopes of the mountain are heavily glaciated. They are most famous for the dormant...
, 5051 m, 43.01889°N 43.05671°E - TetnuldTetnuldTetnuldi is a prominent peak in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, located in the Svaneti region of Georgia. According to most sources, Tetnuldi is the 10th highest peak of the Caucasus. The slopes of the mountain are glaciated generally above the 3,000 metre line...
, 4858 m, 43.03113°N 42.99319°E - UshbaUshbaUshba is one of the most notable peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. It is located in the Svaneti region of Georgia, just south of the border with the Kabardino-Balkaria region of Russia. Although it does not rank in the 10 highest peaks of the range, Ushba is known as the "Matterhorn of the...
, 4710 m, 43.12486°N 42.65901°E - AilamaAilamaAilama or Ahlama is a peak in the central part of the Svaneti section of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, located in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region of Georgia, at the source of the river Koruldashi. The lower slopes are covered with alpine and sub alpine meadows, while the upper slopes have...
, 4525 m, 42°57′29"N 43°10′43"E
Passes
- Marukhis Ugheltekhili (43.38°N 41.37°E)
- Pereval Klukhorskiy (2786 m, 43.26°N 41.80°E)
- Mamison PassMamison PassMamison Pass is a high mountainous pass in the central Greater Caucasus crest, on the Georgia-Russia border. It is crossed by the Ossetian Military Road, a highway that links Kutaisi, Georgia, with Alagir, Russian Federation. Its peak is 2,911 m....
(2820 m,42.72°N 43.80°E) - Jvris Ugheltekhili (2379 m,42.50°N 44.45°E)
- Dübrar Pass (2209 m,40.96°N 48.63°E)
Valleys
- Baksan valley
- Donguzorun valley
- Yusengi valley
- Adylsu valley
- Irik valley
- Adyrsu valley
- Kyrtyk valley
- Syltransu valley