Geographical position of the Caucasus, territory, natural conditions

The geographical position of the Caucasus still causes controversy among scientists. After all, it crosses the border between Europe and Asia. But where exactly does this cordon go? If we assume that along the southern foothills, the highest point in Europe is Elbrus. But if the border passes along the Main Caucasian ridge, then Mont Blanc. This mountain country is very long. In different parts of the Caucasus, there is a climate. These zones differ in terms of relief, nature. In this article, we will tell you in detail about the multifaceted mountain system of the Caucasus.

Location on the geographical map of the world

This region is located in Eurasia, between the Black and Azov seas in the west and the Caspian in the east. To the north of the Caucasus stretches a spacious East European plain. This large mountainous country has its distinct natural boundaries. The geographic position of the Caucasus between the two seas of the Atlantic Ocean and the world's largest inland drainage Caspian makes the western and eastern borders of the mountain system very visible. But what about the northern and, especially, the southern one is not so simple. The Kumo-Manych depression lies in the territory from the Caspian Sea to Azov and the Kerch Strait. It is considered the northern border of the Caucasus. In the south, this system smoothly passes into the mountains of Turkey and Iran. The border can be conditionally held at the former state cordon of the USSR in this region. Now these are the limits of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The southern border runs along the Armenian volcanic plateau, the Araks River and approaches the Talish Mountains.

On the map of geotectonics

The geographical position of the Caucasus speaks eloquently that this mountain system is part of the Alpine-Himalayan belt. Tectonic activity is still continuing here, although there are no active active volcanoes. By geomorphological construction, the Caucasus is divided into four orographic regions. Let's look at them according to the order.

In the north lies the Ciscaucasian plain, which stretches from the Sea of Azov to the Caspian Sea. Further to the south, low hills are replaced by mountains. On the Greater Caucasus Range are the main peaks of the system - Elbrus and Kazbek. This vast region also has its own characteristics. To the south of it lies the Transcaucasian depression. It includes the Kura-Araks and the Colchis lowlands. They also alternate with the Transcaucasian highland. It, in turn, is divided into two parts. It is the mountain system of the Lesser Caucasus and the Javakheti-Armenian highland.

On the political map of the world

South of the Main Caucasian Range are independent and sovereign states of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The north of the mountain system is occupied by the Russian Federation. There are also unrecognized republics of the Caucasus: South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Their future, like the current political status, is very vague. The Russian Federation has several territorial entities in the region. In the north-west it is the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories. They are universally recognized resort regions of Russia. In the northeast there are such autonomous republics of the Caucasus in the Russian Federation as Adygea, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya, North Ossetia and Karachaevo-Cherkessia. The ethnic composition of the population in these countries is rather variegated. This serves as a pretext for various interethnic conflicts. The hot spots of the Caucasus were Chechnya, South Ossetia, Dagestan, Ingushetia. Nagorno-Karabakh is still a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Regions of the Caucasian mountain system

The huge extent of the ridges was determined by the fact that each part has its own geographic features. Thus, the mountainous country can be divided not only into the northern, central and southern, but also to the Eastern and Western Caucasus. If we look at the Main Ridge, then we can isolate the part that begins on the Apsheron Peninsula and rises to Kazbek. This is the Eastern Caucasus. The central zone of this massif is strongly compressed, the Dividing Ridge (Main) and Bokova separate the northern and southern parts of the country. And the Western Caucasus begins on the Taman Peninsula and gradually rises to Elbrus (5642 m above sea level). In the small central part, between the two highest peaks of the mountain system, all the other five-thousandths are concentrated: Dykhtau, Mizhirgi, Jangi-tau, Pushkin, Koshtantau, Shkhara. Each of them is higher than Mount Mont Blanc in the Alps (4807 m).

Small Caucasus

To the south of the Main (Watershed) ridge lies a considerable depression of the relief from the sea to the sea. Here there are such regions of the Caucasus as the moist Colchis lowland in the west and arid Alazani and Kura-Araksi plains in the east. But to the south of these deflections the mountains rise again. Only the submeridional Likhsky Range connects the Greater Caucasus with the Lesser. The name of the latter should not lead anyone astray. Of course, the peaks of the Lesser Caucasus are inferior to Kazbek and Elbrus. But here is Mount Ararat (5165 m). It is the highest point of Asia Minor. There are a lot of peaks in this region above the Alpine Mont Blanc. The small Caucasus bent a 600-kilometer arc. Many of its ridges have a height of 2-3 kilometers. They are separated by deep intermontane basins. To the south of these ranges stretches the vast Javakheti-Armenian highland. It consists of volcanic ridges and plateaus, cut by deep canyons. The highest point of this region is Aragats (4090 m).

Where the mountain system ends in the south

The geographical position of the Caucasus is such that it is quite difficult to determine its boundary. In the southeast, the ranges gradually turn into the Talysh Mountains, ending in the Lankaran lowland near the Caspian Sea (28 m below the level of the World Ocean). In the south and south-west, the Lesser Caucasus passes into the Elbrus Ridge. This chain in the north of Iran is part of the Pontic Mountains in Asia Minor. Thus, it can be said that the southernmost boundary of the mountain system is the Lenkoran lowland, the Talysh Mountains and the Elbrus Range.

The peoples of the Caucasus

This region is inhabited by about fifty ethnic groups. And each of them created its own distinct culture. Particularly heterogeneous in terms of ethnic composition is the North Caucasus (Russia). This region is inhabited by Kabardians, Adygheans, Circassians, Shapsugs, Chechens, Ingushes, Batzbians, Tsakhurs, Tabasarans, Rutulians, Lezgins, Laks, Dargins, Agulas, Avars. There are also nationalities who speak the dialects of the Altaic language family. These are the Nogais, the Dukes, the Kumyks of the Karachais, the Balkars, the Meskhetian Turks. Transcaucasia is inhabited by Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis. But the national composition of these republics is also heterogeneous. Among the representatives of the titular nations of the listed countries there are Abkhazians, Ossetians, Tatas, Talyshs, Mountain Jews, Yezidis, Kurds, Assyrians. And finally, alien nations, which for a long history settled in this mountainous region. They are Russians, Ukrainians, Greeks, Jews, Tatars and others. The main religions are Islam (both Shiite and Sunni branches) and Orthodox Christianity.

Seismic situation

The territory of the Caucasus lies entirely in the Alpine-Himalayan belt. This zone is very mobile. Therefore, earthquakes are frequent in the Caucasus. The increased seismicity of the region is also due to the fact that the mountains, due to the convergence of tectonic plates, grow by one and a half centimeters per year. At the same time, the lowlands are even lowered. This process is not so fast - from two to six millimeters per year. The most frequent earthquakes in Transcaucasia, more precisely in the northwest of the Armenian highland. The last such natural catastrophe, which claimed thousands of lives, occurred in 1988. Mountain Caucasus due to its increased seismicity is prone to frequent avalanches, glaciers and mudflows. Small earthquakes cause rock falls and landslides. Soft sedimentary rocks are washed out by streams and other processes of erosion. Thus, karst caves are formed. They are especially numerous in the northern part of the Greater Caucasus. It is enough to recall at least the Vorontsov system of caves, Novyafonskaya, Snowy Chasm (its depth is 1370 m), the Lago-Naki plateau.

Climate of the Caucasus

This mountainous country lies on the boundaries of the subtropical and temperate natural zones. It can be said so: the high wall, which is the Caucasus, in itself is a climate-forming factor. Peaks-five thousandths securely cover the southern slopes from cold winds. At the same time, the northern foothills of the Caucasus assume the entire impact of low temperatures. A particularly striking difference in climatic characteristics is observed in winter. When there are heavy snowfalls in the Russian part of the mountainous country, clear, dry and warm weather prevails in the Transcaucasian republics. Of course, in such huge mountains there is also altitudinal zonality. On the peaks all year round there is snow. Below the zone of lichens and mosses is replaced by alpine meadows, coniferous and broad-leaved forests. And in the valleys pleases the eye the lush evergreen subtropical vegetation.

The rivers of the Caucasus

Water arteries of the region have a mountainous nature of the current, and therefore play a big role in the energy sector. It should be said that to the north the slopes of the Caucasus are gentle, elongated, while the southern ones are steep and steep. Such a relief affects the rivers. In the northern part of the mountainous country they acquire a flat character. An example is Don. Kuban is the largest river in the North Caucasus. But there is a rapid and rapid water flow in this region of the mountainous country. This is primarily the Kura and Terek. The rivers of the Caucasus belong to the basins of the three seas that wash the mountainous country. Terek, Araks, Kura, Kuma and Sulak flow into the Caspian Sea. To the Black Sea basin belong such water arteries as Bzyb, Kodori, Inguri, Rioni. Azov feeds the Don, Kuban. The largest lake in the region is Sevan.

The nature of the Caucasus

The mountainous country surprises with a variety of landscapes. There are lowland subtropical marshes, thick fir forests, boxwood groves, alpine meadows. At a considerable height of more than three thousand meters, lichens and mosses prevail. Permafrost begins at a mark of 3500 meters above sea level. The northern foothills of the Caucasus are cooler. Vertical zonality on these slopes is characterized by a sharp change of zones. The boundary of the snow in the North Caucasus lies below that in the southern one, at 2800 meters above the sea level. The mountain fauna of the region needs protection. Lynx and Caucasian leopards are on the verge of extinction. And the local species of bison, moose and tigers disappeared altogether. But till now there are bears, boars, chamois and arhars in the mountain canyons. As for the flora, the Caucasus is known as the birthplace of a giant cow-bean plant. In 1890, he was taken to Europe as an ornamental plant. Since then, he is considered an extremely dangerous and aggressive neophyte.

Recreational opportunities of the Caucasus

The region is located between the three southern seas. Here a mild climate, transitional from temperate to subtropical, was established. High mountains create a great variety of landscapes. Fast rivers seem to invite you to rafting. All this makes the Caucasus a recreational region. But here you can not only relax, but also to be cured. This is facilitated by a large number of mineral waters, which are formed in rocks. The whole world knows the brand "Borjomi", which Georgia exports. But the North Caucasus also does not lack recreational resources . Kislovodsk, Mineralnye Vody, Georgievsk, Zheleznovodsk, Pyatigorsk, Essentuki, Lermontov - all these resort towns are located in the Stavropol Territory. Zolsky district (Kabardino-Balkaria) is famous for the Valley of Narzans and therapeutic muds of Lake Tambukan.