The highest peak of the Caucasus mountains. Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus is a mountain system located in Eurasia between the Black and Caspian seas. The mountain range extends 1,100 km from the Taman Peninsula and Anapa to the Absheron Peninsula near the city of Baku.
This territory is usually divided according to several criteria: into the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, as well as into the Western (from the Black Sea to Elbrus), Central (from Elbrus to Kazbek) and Eastern (from Kazbek to the Caspian Sea). The mountain system reaches its greatest width in the central part (180 km). The mountain peaks of the Central Caucasus are the highest on the Main Caucasus (Watershed) Range.
The most famous mountain peaks of the Caucasus are Mount Elbrus (5642 m) and Mount Kazbek (5033 m). Both peaks are stratovolcanoes. Moreover, Kazbek is considered extinct, which cannot be said about Elbrus. Experts' opinions on this matter vary. The slopes of the two highest mountains of the Caucasus are covered with snow and glaciers. The Central Caucasus accounts for up to 70% of modern glaciation. Over more than a century of observations of the glaciers of the Caucasus, their area has decreased significantly.
To the north from the foot of the Greater Caucasus stretches an sloping plain, which ends in the Kuma-Manych depression. Its territory is dissected by side ridges and river valleys. The largest rivers in this territory can be considered the river. Kuban and Terek. To the south of the Greater Caucasus are the Colchis and Kura-Araks lowlands.
The Caucasus Mountains can be considered young. They were formed during the Alpine folding era approximately 28-23 million years ago. Their formation is due to the northward movement of the Arabian lithospheric plate onto the Eurasian plate. The latter, pressed by the African plate, moves several centimeters per year.
Tectonic processes in the depths of the Caucasus continue to this day. The geological structure of Elbrus indicates great activity of the volcano in the recent past. Several powerful earthquakes occurred in the Caucasus in the 20th century. The most destructive earthquake was in Armenia in 1988.
Seismic stations operating throughout the Caucasus annually record several hundred tremors. Experts say that some parts of the Caucasus ridge are “growing” by several centimeters per year.
Caucasus in Europe or Asia?
This issue should be considered more in political and historical aspects. The Caucasus Mountains are located in the center of the Eurasian plate, so the division can only be conditional. The border between Europe and Asia was proposed by the Swedish officer and geographer F. Stralenberg in 1730. The border that ran along the Ural Mountains and the Kuma-Manych depression was accepted by many scientists.
Despite this, at different times several alternative proposals were proposed that justified the division of Europe and Asia along the Caucasus Mountains. Despite the ongoing controversy, Elbrus is still considered the highest point in Europe. The history of the region suggests the special position of the Caucasus at the crossroads between European and East Asian cultures.
The highest mountains of the Caucasus
- Elbrus (5642 m). KBR, KCR. Highest point in Russia
- Dykhtau (5204 m). CBD
- Koshtantau (5122 m). CBD
- Pushkin Peak (5100 m). CBD
- Dzhangitau (5058 m). CBD
- Shkhara (5201 m). CBD. Highest point of Georgia
- Kazbek (5034 m). Highest point of North Ossetia
- Mizhirgi Western (5022 m). CBD
- Tetnuld (4974 m). Georgia
- Katyntau (4970 m). CBD
- Shota Rustaveli Peak (4960 m). CBD
- Gestola (4860 m). CBD
- Jimara (4780 m). Georgia, North Ossetia
- Ushba (4690 m). Georgia, North Ossetia
- Gulchitau (4447 m). CBD
- Tebulosmta (4493 m). The highest point of Chechnya
- Bazarduzu (4466 m). The highest point of Dagestan and Azerbaijan
- Shan (4451 m). The highest point of Ingushetia
- Adai-Khokh (4408 m). North Ossetia
- Diklosmta (4285 m). Chechnya
- Shahdag (4243 m). Azerbaijan
- Tufandag (4191 m). Azerbaijan
- Shalbuzdag (4142 m). Dagestan
- Aragats (4094). Highest point of Armenia
- Dombay-Ulgen (4046 m). KCR
How many five-thousanders are there in the Caucasus?
Mountains whose height exceeds five kilometers are usually called Caucasian five-thousanders. From the list presented above, it is clear that The Caucasus has eight mountains of five thousand meters«:
- Elbrus(5642 m) is a dormant volcano and the highest mountain in Russia. The mountain consists of two peaks, Western (5642 m) and Eastern (5621 m), connected by a saddle (5416 m).
- Dykhtau(5204 m) - mountain peak of the Side Range of the Greater Caucasus. The mountain consists of two peaks (both over 5000 m high), connected by a steep, narrow saddle. The first ascent of the mountain took place in 1888. Today, about ten routes with difficulty from 4A (according to the Russian classification) have been laid to the top of Dykhtau.
- Koshtantau(5122 m) is a mountain peak on the border of Bezengi and the mountainous region of Balkaria.
- Pushkin Peak(5100 m) - being part of the Dykhtau mountain range, it is a separate peak. Named in honor of A.S. Pushkin on the 100th anniversary of his death.
- Dzhangitau(5058 m) is a mountain peak in the central part of the Greater Caucasus. There are three peaks in the Dzhangitau massif, all of which are more than five kilometers high.
- Shkhara(5201 m) is a mountain peak of the Central Caucasus that is part of the Bezengi Wall.
- Kazbek(5034 m) - an extinct stratovolcano, the easternmost five-thousander of the Caucasus. The first ascent of the mountain was made in 1868.
- Mizhirgi Western(5022 m) - a mountain peak as part of the Bezengi wall. The name of the mountain is translated from Karachay-Balkar as “connecting”.
Geographical position. On the huge isthmus between the Black and Caspian seas, from the Taman to the Absheron peninsula, there are the majestic mountains of the Greater Caucasus.
North Caucasus- This is the southernmost part of Russian territory. The border of the Russian Federation with the countries of Transcaucasia runs along the ridges of the Main, or Watershed, Caucasian Range.
The Caucasus is separated from the Russian Plain by the Kuma-Manych depression, on the site of which a sea strait existed in the Middle Quaternary.
The North Caucasus is an area located on the border of the temperate and subtropical zones.
The epithet “the best” is often applied to the nature of this territory. Latitudinal zonality is replaced here by vertical zonality. For a resident of the plains, the Caucasus Mountains are a vivid example of the “multi-storey™” of nature.
Remember where the southernmost point of Russia is located and what it is called.
Features of the nature of the North Caucasus. The Caucasus is a young mountain structure formed during the period of Alpine folding. The Caucasus includes: Ciscaucasia, Greater Caucasus and Transcaucasia. Only the Ciscaucasia and the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus belong to Russia.
Rice. 92. Orographic scheme of the Caucasus
The Greater Caucasus is often presented as a single ridge. In fact, it is a system of mountain ranges. From the Black Sea coast to Mount Elbrus is the Western Caucasus, from Elbrus to Kazbek is the Central Caucasus, east of Kazbek to the Caspian Sea is the Eastern Caucasus. In the longitudinal direction, an axial zone is distinguished, occupied by the Vodorazdelny (Main) and Bokovy ridges.
The northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus form the Skalisty and Pastbishchny ridges. They have a cuesta structure - these are ridges in which one slope is gentle and the other is steep. The reason for the formation of a quest is the interlayering of layers composed of rocks of different hardness.
The chains of the Western Caucasus begin near the Taman Peninsula. At first, these are not even mountains, but hills with soft outlines. They increase when moving to the east. Mountains Fisht (2867 m) and Oshten (2808 m) - the highest parts of the Western Caucasus - are covered with snowfields and glaciers.
The highest and grandest part of the entire mountain system is the Central Caucasus. Here even the passes reach an altitude of 3000 m; only one pass - the Cross Pass on the Georgian Military Road - lies at an altitude of 2379 m.
The highest peaks in the Central Caucasus are the double-headed Elbrus, an extinct volcano, the highest peak in Russia (5642 m), and Kazbek (5033 m).
The eastern part of the Greater Caucasus is mainly the numerous ridges of mountainous Dagestan (translated as the Country of Mountains).
Rice. 93. Mount Elbrus
Various tectonic structures took part in the structure of the North Caucasus. In the south there are folded block mountains and foothills of the Greater Caucasus. It is part of the alpine geosynclinal zone.
Oscillations of the earth's crust were accompanied by bending of the earth's layers, their stretching, faults, and ruptures. Through the cracks that formed, magma poured out to the surface from great depths, which led to the formation of numerous ore deposits.
Uplifts in recent geological periods - Neogene and Quaternary - turned the Greater Caucasus into a high-mountainous country. The rise in the axial part of the Greater Caucasus was accompanied by an intense subsidence of earth layers along the edges of the emerging mountain range. This led to the formation of foothill troughs: in the west of the Indolo-Kuban and in the east of the Terek-Caspian.
The complex history of the geological development of the region is the reason for the richness of the subsoil of the Caucasus in various minerals. The main wealth of the Ciscaucasia is oil and gas deposits. In the central part of the Greater Caucasus, polymetallic ores, tungsten, copper, mercury, and molybdenum are mined.
In the mountains and foothills of the North Caucasus, many mineral springs were discovered, near which resorts were created that have long gained worldwide fame - Kislovodsk, Mineralnye Vody, Pyatigorsk, Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk, Matsesta. The sources are varied in chemical composition, temperature and are extremely useful.
Rice. 94. Geological structure of the North Caucasus
The geographical location of the North Caucasus in the south of the temperate zone determines its mild, warm climate, transitional from temperate to subtropical. The parallel of 45° N runs here. sh., that is, this territory is equidistant from both the equator and the pole. This situation determines the amount of solar heat received: in summer 17-18 kcal per square centimeter, which is 1.5 times more than the average European part of Russia receives. With the exception of the highlands, the climate in the North Caucasus is mild and warm; on the plains, the average July temperature everywhere exceeds 20°C, and summer lasts from 4.5 to 5.5 months. Average January temperatures range from -10 to +6°C, and winter lasts only two to three months. In the North Caucasus there is the city of Sochi, which has the warmest winter in Russia with a January temperature of +6.1°C.
Using the map, determine whether in the foothills of the North Caucasus there are any obstacles to the path of arctic or tropical air masses. What atmospheric fronts pass near this area? Analyze on maps how precipitation is distributed in the North Caucasus, explain the reasons for this distribution.
The abundance of heat and light allows the vegetation of the North Caucasus to develop in the north of the region for seven months, in the Ciscaucasia - eight, and on the Black Sea coast, south of Gelendzhik - up to 11 months. This means that with the appropriate selection of crops, you can get two harvests a year.
The North Caucasus is distinguished by a very complex circulation of various air masses. Various air masses can penetrate this area.
The main source of moisture for the North Caucasus is the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, the western regions of the North Caucasus are characterized by high rainfall. The annual precipitation in the foothill areas in the west is 380-520 mm, and in the east, in the Caspian region, it is 220-250 mm. Therefore, in the east of the region there are often droughts and hot winds. At the same time, they are often accompanied by dusty, or black, storms. Storms occur in the spring, when the top layers of parched soil, still loosely held together by newly emerged plants, are blown away by strong winds. Dust rises in clouds into the air, obscuring the sky and the sun.
Measures to combat black storms include properly planned forest shelterbelts and advanced agricultural technology. However, until now, due to black storms, several tens of thousands of hectares have to be reseeded (re-seeded), from which the most fertile layer of soil is blown away during dust storms.
Highland climate very different from the plains and foothills. The first main difference is that much more precipitation falls in the mountains: at an altitude of 2000 m - 2500-2600 mm per year. This is due to the fact that mountains trap air masses and force them to rise. At the same time, the air cools and gives up its moisture.
The second difference in the climate of the highlands is the decrease in the duration of the warm season due to the decrease in air temperature with height. Already at an altitude of 2700 m on the northern slopes and at an altitude of 3800 m in the Central Caucasus there is a snow line, or the border of “eternal ice”. At altitudes above 4000 m, even in July, positive temperatures are very rare.
Remember by what amount the air temperature decreases when rising for every 100 m. Calculate how much the air cools when rising to a height of 4000 m, if its temperature at the surface of the earth is +20 ° C. What happens to the moisture in the air?
In the mountains of the Western Caucasus, due to the abundance of precipitation during the winter, a four to five meter layer of snow accumulates, and in the mountain valleys, where it is blown away by the wind, up to 10-12 m. The abundance of snow in winter leads to the formation of snow avalanches. Sometimes one awkward movement, even a sharp sound, is enough for a thousand-ton mass of snow to fly down a steep ledge, destroying everything in its path.
Explain why there are practically no avalanches in the mountains of the Eastern Caucasus.
Think about what differences will be observed in the change in altitudinal zones on the western and eastern slopes.
The third difference in the high-mountain climate is its amazing diversity from place to place due to the height of the mountains, slope exposure, proximity or distance from the sea.
The fourth difference is the uniqueness of atmospheric circulation. Cooled air from the highlands rushes down through relatively narrow intermountain valleys. When descending for every 100 m, the air warms up by about 1°C. Descending from an altitude of 2500 m, it heats up by 25°C and becomes warm, even hot. This is how a local wind is formed - the foehn. Hairdryers are especially frequent in the spring, when the intensity of the general circulation of air masses sharply increases. Unlike a foehn, when masses of dense cold air invade, bora is formed (from the Greek boreas - north, north wind), a strong cold downward wind. Flowing through low ridges into an area with warmer rarefied air, it heats up relatively little and “falls” at a high speed along the leeward slope. Bora is observed mainly in winter, where the mountain range borders the sea or a large body of water. The Novorossiysk forest is widely known (Fig. 95). And yet, the leading factor in climate formation in the mountains, which greatly influences all other components of nature, is altitude, leading to vertical zonation of both climate and natural zones.
Rice. 95. Scheme of formation of the Novorossiysk forest
The rivers of the North Caucasus are numerous and, like the relief and climate, are clearly divided into lowland and mountainous. There are especially numerous turbulent mountain rivers, the main source of food for which is snow and glaciers during the melting period. The largest rivers are the Kuban and Terek with their numerous tributaries, as well as the Bolshoy Yegorlyk and Kalaus, which originate in the Stavropol Upland. In the lower reaches of the Kuban and Terek there are floodplains - vast wetlands covered with reeds and reeds.
Rice. 96. Altitudinal zone of the Greater Caucasus
The wealth of the Caucasus is its fertile soils. In the western part of Ciscaucasia, chernozems predominate, and in the eastern, drier part, chestnut soils predominate. The soils of the Black Sea coast are intensively used for gardens, berry fields, and vineyards. The world's northernmost tea plantations are located in the Sochi region.
In the Greater Caucasus Mountains, altitudinal zonation is clearly expressed. The lower zone is occupied by broad-leaved forests with a predominance of oak. Above are beech forests, which with height transform first into mixed and then into spruce-fir forests. The upper border of the forest is at an altitude of 2000-2200 m. Behind it, on mountain meadow soils, there are lush subalpine meadows with thickets of Caucasian rhododendron. They pass into short-grass alpine meadows, followed by the highest mountain belt of snowfields and glaciers.
Questions and tasks
- Using the example of the North Caucasus, show the influence of the geographical location of the territory on the features of its nature.
- Tell us about the formation of the modern relief of the Greater Caucasus.
- On the contour map, indicate the main geographical objects of the area and mineral deposits.
- Describe the climate of the Greater Caucasus, explain how the climate of the foothills differs from the high-mountain regions.
The Greater Caucasus Mountains are located between the Black and Caspian Seas, from the Taman to the Absheron Peninsula. The Caucasus is separated from the Russian Plain by the Kumo-Manych depression, on the site of which in the distant past there was a strait connecting the Black Sea and Caspian sea basins. The Caucasus includes the Ciscaucasia, Greater Caucasus and Transcaucasia. Only the Ciscaucasia and the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus belong to Russia. These parts are collectively called the North Caucasus.
Orographic map of the Caucasus. The orography of the Greater Caucasus is quite complex, but individual elements can be clearly identified here. From northwest to southeast, the Greater Caucasus can be divided into three parts: Western, Central and Eastern Caucasus. The borders between them are Elbrus and Kazbek.
The Central Caucasus has the highest altitude, exceeding m. About 15 of its peaks are covered with eternal snow and glaciers. This is the most mountainous and inaccessible region of Europe and Asia Minor. In the Greater Caucasus, four parallel ridges with a northwestern orientation are clearly defined. The axial ridge of the Greater Caucasus is the Main or Watershed Range.
The highest mountain in the Caucasus is Elbrus. The height of the Western peak is m, the Eastern peak is m...And in their circle there is a two-headed colossus, In a crown of shining ice, Elbrus is huge, majestic White in the blue sky. A.S. Pushkin
Mount Elbrus with two peak craters was formed about a million years ago. It is also called Double-Headed Mountain. The first peak to appear after the eruptions was in the West, and then in the East. The distance between the peaks is 1.5 km. Elbrus is covered with snow and ice, which determines the weather and climate of a large area. There are only 77 glaciers, their area is 144.5 km2.
For the first time, a person climbed to the top of Elbrus in 1829; the pioneer was a Kabardian named Kilar Khashirov, who was the guide of the expedition of the Russian Academy of Sciences. And the first person to conquer two peaks at once was the Balkan hunter and shepherd Ahiya Sottaev. The man visited the great mountain nine times during his long life. He first climbed it at the age of forty, his last ascent was in 1909, when he was one hundred and twenty-one years old.
Poets sang the beauty of the Caucasus Mountains. The Caucasus is below me. Alone in the heights I stand above the snow at the edge of the rapids; An eagle, rising from a distant peak, Soars motionless along with me. From now on I see the birth of streams and the first movement of menacing collapses. Here the clouds humbly move beneath me; Waterfalls rush through them; Beneath them the cliffs are naked masses; Below there is skinny moss, dry bushes; And there are already groves, green canopies, where birds chirp, where deer gallop. And there people nest in the mountains, And sheep crawl along the grassy rapids, And the shepherd descends to the cheerful valleys... A.S. Pushkin The Terek howls, wild and angry, Between the rocky masses, His cry is like a storm, Tears fly in splashes. But, scattering across the steppe, He took on a wicked appearance And, caressing affably, he murmurs to the Caspian Sea: “Make way, O old sea, Give shelter to my wave! I walked in the open space, It’s time for me to rest. I was born near Kazbek, Nourished by the breast of the clouds, I was always ready to argue with the alien power of man. I, for your sons’ amusement, ruined my native Daryal and brought a whole herd of boulders to them for glory.” M.Yu.Lermontov
The climate of the Caucasus is warm and mild, with the exception of the highlands. In the mountains and foothills there is: Large amounts of precipitation in the mountains. A decrease in the duration of the warm season due to a decrease in air temperature with altitude; at an altitude of 3800 m the border of “eternal ice” passes. Formation of avalanches due to heavy rainfall in winter. Climate diversity due to slope exposure, mountain height, proximity or distance from the sea. The peculiarity of atmospheric circulation, the formation of local winds: foehn (a dry, warm strong wind blowing gustyly from high mountains into valleys) and bora (a cold gusty wind that occurs when a flow of cold air encounters a hill on its way, overcoming which it falls onto a valley).
The rivers of the Caucasus are divided into lowland and mountainous. Stormy mountain rivers are especially numerous; their main source of nutrition is the melt water of glaciers and snowfields in the mountains, so the rivers are always cold. Only in the lower reaches do such large rivers as the Kuban and Terek have a calm flow. Here there are floodplains, vast wetlands covered with reeds and reeds.
TEREK originates on the mountain peak of Zilgahokh in Georgia and flows into the Caspian Sea. The length of the river is 623 km, the basin area is 2 km. The main tributaries are Ardon, Malka, Urukh and Sunzha. Upper Terek.
In the Caucasus Mountains, the lower belt is occupied by broad-leaved forests, higher are beech forests, which turn into mixed, then spruce-fir forests. The upper border of the forest is at an altitude of m. Behind it there are subalpine meadows, alpine meadows (pictured), then the high mountain belt, glaciers.
The vegetation of the Caucasus is distinguished by its rich species composition and diversity. The number of plant species in the Caucasus is more widespread. Various types of meadows and forests are widespread. Eastern beech, Caucasian hornbeam, Caucasian linden, noble chestnut grow here, and there are also small evergreen trees and large shrubs - boxwood, cherry laurel, Pontine rhododendron, some types of oak and maple, wild persimmon, etc. The most important cultivated plants of the Caucasian subtropics are the tea bush and tangerines.
Fauna The fauna of the Caucasus, like its vegetation, is very diverse. In the Caucasus there are brown Caucasian bears, lynxes, forest cats (found up to an altitude of 2000 meters), foxes, badgers, martens, deer, roe deer, wild boars, bison, chamois, mountain goats (turs), small rodents (forest dormouse, vole). Magpies chirp, thrushes whistle, cuckoos crow, jays call to each other, wagtails scurry around streams, woodpeckers tap on the bark of tree trunks. Owls, eagle owls, starlings, crows, goldfinches, kingfishers, tits and other birds fly, and high in the mountains there are Caucasian black grouse and mountain turkeys. You can also see large predators - the golden eagle and the lamb.
Interesting facts In the North Caucasus there are the Caucasian and Teberda nature reserves. Unique flora (yew, boxwood, walnut, noble chestnut) and fauna (tur, chamois, Caucasian deer, etc.) are protected here. Modern glaciation is widespread in the Greater Caucasus. The number of glaciers exceeds 2000, the glaciation area is 1424 km2. The glacier of Mount Fisht (2857 m) is the westernmost and lowest located in the Caucasus. The last eruption of Elbrus occurred 1500 years ago, but it is still not considered an extinct volcano. The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in the city of Sochi, located in the Krasnodar region. Construction of Olympic facilities and infrastructure is already underway. It is accompanied by protests from environmentalists who fear for the safety of the unique biosphere of the North Caucasus.
It is divided into two mountain systems: the Greater Caucasus and the Lesser Caucasus. The Caucasus is often divided into the Northern Caucasus and Transcaucasia, the border between which is drawn along the Main, or Watershed, ridge of the Greater Caucasus, which occupies a central position in the mountain system. The Greater Caucasus extends more than 1,100 km from northwest to southeast, from the Anapa region and the Taman Peninsula to the Absheron Peninsula on the Caspian coast, near Baku. The Greater Caucasus reaches its maximum width in the area of the Elbrus meridian (up to 180 km). In the axial part there is the Main Caucasian (or Watershed) ridge, to the north of which a number of parallel ridges (mountain ranges), including a monoclinal (cuesta) character, extend (see Greater Caucasus). The southern slope of the Greater Caucasus mostly consists of en echelon ridges adjacent to the Main Caucasus Range. Traditionally, the Greater Caucasus is divided into 3 parts: Western Caucasus (from the Black Sea to Elbrus), Central Caucasus (from Elbrus to Kazbek) and Eastern Caucasus (from Kazbek to the Caspian Sea).
The most famous peaks - Mount Elbrus (5642 m) and Mount Kazbek (5033 m) are covered with eternal snow and glaciers. The Greater Caucasus is a region with extensive modern glaciation. The total number of glaciers is about 2,050, and their area is approximately 1,400 km2. More than half of the glaciation in the Greater Caucasus is concentrated in the Central Caucasus (50% of the number and 70% of the area of glaciation). Large centers of glaciation are Mount Elbrus and the Bezengi Wall (with the Bezengi glacier, 17 km). From the northern foot of the Greater Caucasus to the Kuma-Manych depression, the Ciscaucasia stretches with vast plains and hills. To the south of the Greater Caucasus are the Colchis and Kura-Araks lowlands, the Inner Kartli Plain and the Alazan-Avtoran Valley [Kura Depression, within which the Alazan-Avtoran Valley and the Kura-Araks Lowland are located]. In the southeastern part of the Caucasus are the Talysh Mountains (up to 2477 m high) with the adjacent Lenkoran Lowland. In the middle and west of the southern part of the Caucasus is the Transcaucasian Highlands, consisting of the ridges of the Lesser Caucasus and the Armenian Highlands (Aragats, 4090 m). The Lesser Caucasus is connected to the Greater Caucasus by the Likhsky ridge, in the west it is separated from it by the Colchis Lowland, in the east by the Kura Depression. Length - about 600 km, height - up to 3724 m. Mountains near Sochi - Achishkho, Aibga, Chigush (Chugush, 3238 m), Pseashkho and others (Krasnaya Polyana resort area) - will host participants in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
There is a beautiful mountain system on our planet. It is located on, or to be more precise, between two seas - the Caspian and Black. It bears the proud name - the Caucasus Mountains. It has coordinates: 42°30′ north latitude and 45°00′ east longitude. The length of the mountain system is more than one thousand kilometers. Territorially it belongs to six countries: Russia and the states of the Caucasus region: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, etc.
It is still not clearly stated which part of the continent the Caucasus Mountains belong to. Elbrus and Mont Blanc are fighting for the title. The latter is located in the Alps. The geographical location of the plan is easy to describe. And this article will help with this.
Borders
During the times of Ancient Greece, it was the Caucasus and the Bosphorus that separated the 2 continents. But the world map was constantly changing, peoples migrated. In the Middle Ages, the Don River was considered the border. Much later, in the 17th century, a Swedish geographer led it through the Urals, down the river. Embe to the Caspian Sea. His idea was supported by scientists of the time and the Russian Tsar. According to this definition, mountains belong to Asia. On the other hand, the Great Encyclopedia of Larousse denotes the border running south of Kazbek and Elbrus. Thus, both mountains are in Europe.
It is somewhat difficult to describe the geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains as accurately as possible. Opinions regarding territorial affiliation changed solely for political reasons. Europe was singled out as a special part of the world, linking this with the level of development of civilization. The border between the continents gradually moved east. She became a moving line.
Some scientists, noting differences in the geological structure of the massif, propose drawing the border along the main ridge of the Greater Caucasus. And this is not surprising. mountains allows it. Its northern slope will belong to Europe, and its southern slope will belong to Asia. This issue is being actively discussed by scientists from all six states. Geographers of Azerbaijan and Armenia believe that the Caucasus belongs to Asia, and Georgian scientists believe that it belongs to Europe. Many well-known authoritative people believe that the entire massif belongs to Asia, so Elbrus will not be considered the highest point in Europe for a long time.
System composition
This massif consists of 2 mountain systems: the Lesser and Greater Caucasus. Often the latter is presented as a single ridge, but this is not so. And if you study the geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains on the map, you will notice that it is not one of those. The Greater Caucasus stretches for more than a kilometer from Anapa and the Taman Peninsula almost all the way to Baku. Conventionally, it consists of the following parts: Western, Eastern and Central Caucasus. The first zone extends from the Black Sea to Elbrus, the middle one - from the highest peak to Kazbek, the last - from Kazbek to the Caspian Sea.
The western chains originate from the Taman Peninsula. And at first they look more like hills. However, the further east you go, the higher they become. Their peaks are covered with snow and glaciers. The ranges of Dagestan are located in the east of the Greater Caucasus. These are complex systems with river valleys forming canyons. About 1.5 thousand sq. km of the Greater Caucasus is covered with glaciers. Most of them are in the central region. The Lesser Caucasus includes nine ranges: Adzhar-Imereti, Karabakh, Bazum and others. The highest of them, located in the middle and eastern parts, are Murov-Dag, Pambaksky, etc.
Climate
Analyzing the geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains, we see that they are located on the border of two climatic zones - subtropical and temperate. Transcaucasia belongs to the subtropics. The rest of the territory belongs to the temperate climate zone. The North Caucasus is a warm region. Summer there lasts almost 5 months, and winter never drops below -6 °C. It is short-lived - 2-3 months. In high mountain areas the climate is different. There it is influenced by the Atlantic and Mediterranean, so the weather is wetter.
Due to the complex terrain in the Caucasus, there are many zones that differ from each other. This climate makes it possible to grow citrus fruits, tea, cotton and other exotic crops that are suitable for moderate weather conditions. The geographical location of the Caucasus Mountains largely influences the formation of the temperature regime in nearby areas.
Himalayas and Caucasus Mountains
Often at school, students are asked to compare the geographical position of the Himalayas and Iz, the similarity is only in one thing: both systems are located in Eurasia. But they have many differences:
- The Caucasus Mountains are located in the Himalayas, but they belong only to Asia.
- The average height of the Caucasus Mountains is 4 thousand m, the Himalayas - 5 thousand m.
- Also, these mountain systems are located in different climatic zones. The Himalayas are mostly in the subequatorial, less in the tropics, and the Caucasus - in the subtropical and temperate.
As you can see, these two systems are not identical. The geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains and the Himalayas is similar in some respects, but not in others. But both systems are quite large, beautiful, and amazing.