Caucasus

The Caucasus or Caucasia is a region spanning Europe and Asia bordered on the north by Russia, on the east by the Caspian Sea, on the south by Iran, on the southwest by Turkey, and on the west by the Black Sea. Caucasia includes the Caucasus Mountains and surrounding lowlands.

The Caucasus Mountains are commonly recognised as a natural border between Asia and Europe. Countries in the Caucasus are considered to be in one or both continents, with Armenia and Azerbaijan considered transcontinental, and Georgia largely considered European. The northern portion of the Caucasus is known as the Ciscaucasus and the southern portion as the Transcaucasus. The highest peak in the Caucasus is Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) which, in the western Ciscaucasus in Russia, is generally considered the highest point in Europe.

List of countries

Sovereign states

Disputed territories

Abkhazia - claimed but not controlled by Georgia
South Ossetia - claimed but not controlled by Georgia

Autonomous republics of the Russian Federation

Myths and Legends

The Biblical Mount Ararat where Noah's Ark landed is known as the landmark of the ancient Armenian realm. The peak of Ararat is seasonally capped with snow. In Greek mythology, the Caucasus or Kaukasos was one of the pillars supporting the world. Prometheus was chained there by Zeus. The Roman poet Ovid placed Caucasus in Scythia and said it was a cold and stony mountain which was the abode of personified hunger.

Related pages

References

Caucasus: A Journey to the Land Between Christianity and Islam By Nicholas Griffin
Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus By Svante E. Cornell
The Caucasus By Ivan Golovin

Other websites

BBC News: North Caucasus at a glance, September 8 2005
United Nations Environment Programme map: Landcover of the Caucasus Archived 2005-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
United Nations Environment Programme map: Population density of the Caucasus Archived 2005-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
Information about the history