Caucasus Mountains Facts For Kids That Are Worth-Knowing

The Caucasus, also known as Russian Kavkaz, is a mountain range located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and is shared by Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

The term 'Caucasus' is a Latinized version of 'Kaukasos', which was used by ancient Greek historians and geographers; the 'Russian Kavkaz' is also of Greek origin. The final derivation is supposed to come from Kaz-Kaz, a Hittite name for a people who lived on the Black Sea's southern shore.

The range was the location of Prometheus' sufferings in Greek mythology. Also, it was in the land of Colchis (modern-day Georgia's Kolkhida Lowland) that the Argonauts sought the Golden Fleece.

Location Of Caucasus Mountains

Let's start by finding out some details about where you can find this mountain range.

• The Caucasus Mountains are a long mountain range that connects Asia and Europe.
• The Caucasus region surrounds it, and Mount Elbrus, Europe's tallest mountain at 18,510 ft (5,642 m) above ocean level, is located there.
• It could be anywhere from the Black as well as Caspian Seas.
• The Caucasus Mountains are made up of the Greater Caucasus there in the north as well as the Lesser Caucasus in the south.
• The Greater Caucasus stretch west-northwest to east-southeast from the Caucasian Natural Reserve in Sochi, Russia (on the Black Sea's northeastern shore) to Baku, Azerbaijan (on the Caspian Sea).
• The Lesser Caucasus lies relatively close to the Greater Caucasus, approximately 62 mi (100 km) south of it.
• The Lesser Caucasus system includes the Meskheti Range.
• The Lesser Caucasus is separated out from Talysh Mountains by the Aras River, which flows through southern Azerbaijan and Iran.
• The Transcaucasian Highland is composed of the Lesser Caucasus as well as the Armenian Highland.
• They also meet in the radical northeast of Turkey on the highland plateau in Eastern Anatolia at their western end.
• A portion of the 2014 Winter Olympics was held in the mountains near Sochi.
• The Caucasus Mountains are known to have symbolized the limit of the known world for the ancient Greeks.
• They served as a barrier for ages, separating people from Asia and Europe.
• The Caucasus region is mostly disjointed and isolated.
• Despite conquests by the Russian, Ottoman, and Persian empires, at least 50 different ethnic groups and nations call the region's secluded valleys home and have managed to maintain their identities.

Characteristics Of The Caucasus Mountains

Read below about the characteristic features of these mountains.

• Beautiful mountains with coniferous forests, snow-capped summits, and Alpine lakes make up the Caucasus.
• It has eight peaks that are higher than the Alps' highest peaks.
• The Caucasus Mountains are rocky, volcanically formed, and relatively new.
• They're around 25 million years old, according to scientists.
• In terms of area, the range is rather tiny, but it is one of the world's tallest mountain ranges.
• Mt. Elbrus climbs 18,481 ft (5,633 m) above sea level to become the highest peak in the Caucasus and Europe.
• Its two main chains are separated by a wide valley.
• The North Caucasus, often known as the Greater Caucasus, is located between the valley's north side and the Russian plain to the north.
• The Southern Caucasus, often known as the Lesser Caucasus, is situated between the south side of the valley and the Turkish and Iranian borders.
• The slopes of the greater range stretch for around 750 mi (1,207 km) and are 30-110 mi (48-177 km) wide.
• Mount Elbrus is located near the center.
• The valley between the ridges is traversed by low mountains.
• Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, Yerevan, Armenia's capital, and Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, are all located in the central valley.
• The northern Russian side is largely made of shale, climbs slowly, and is home to the majority of the glaciers.
• The southern side of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia rise more steeply.
• The east, as well as the western portions are likewise distinct.
• Rainfall on the Black Sea side is 10 times greater than on the Caspian Sea side.
• Hiking is significantly more common on the eastern Black Sea coast.
• Here are the majority of the Caucasus' 2,000 or more glaciers.
• Most of the year, the craggy mountains are covered with snow.
• Most of the range's highest peaks lie in the middle.
• On the Russian side, the tallest peaks are Dombay-Ulgen, Elbrus, and Dykhtan (from west to east).
• On Georgia's side, the tallest peaks are Ushba, Shkara, Koshatu, and Kazbek.

Passes Of Caucasus Mountains

Read below about the significant passes of these majestic mountains

• The mountains are crossed by a few high and steep passes.
• Through the Mamison Pass and the Pass of the Cross, the Ossetian and Georgian military highways cross the northern range.
• The western highlands are crossed by two short railroads that lead to the Black Sea.
• In the east, the railway loops around the main mountain and follows the coast of the Caspian Sea.
• The Silk Route's northern arm included a portion that traversed the Caucasus Mountain range.

Climate And Landscape Of Caucasus Mountains

Are you wondering about the kind of landscape these mountains have or the climatic conditions they experience? Keep reading and find out!

• The Caucasus range is primarily a mountainous region, with some very mountainous areas and lush, fruit-filled valleys, with the exception of certain tropical areas in the west, deserts in the northeast, and flatlands here and there.
• River valleys are carved deep into the mountains, resulting in steep gorges and canyons, the bulk of which have been severely eroded.
• As the height rises, the vegetation zones transition from forest strips and yellow rhododendron to conifers.
• Then come subalpine meadows with hedgerows of Caucasian rhododendron and low-lying alpine grasses and finally lichens.
• The Kuban River, which runs into the Black Sea, and the Kuma and Terek Rivers, which flow into the Caspian Sea, originate on the main range's northern side.
• The Kura River travels from Tbilisi to the Caspian Sea, where it is joined by the Araks River near its mouth.
• In the canyons, many people reside. In the winter, the canyons offer some protection from the chilly northern winds, and in the summer, they provide relief from the heat.
• The Caucasus range is home to over 6,000 different plant and wildflower species.
• The Caucasus has about 1,600 plant species that are only found there.
• Poaching, illegal logging, firewood cutting, overgrazing, and dwindling government protection resources are all harming the Caucasus.
• The climate in the Caucasus varies both vertically (based on elevation) and horizontally (based on latitude).
• As you climb higher in altitude, the temperature (not surprisingly) tends to drop.
• At sea level, the average annual temperature in Sukhumi, Abkhazia is 59 F (15 C), but on the slopes of Mt. Kazbek at an elevation of 12,100 ft (3,700 m), the average annual temperature is 21 F (6.1 C).
• The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range's northern slopes are typically about 5.4 F (3 C), colder than the southern slopes.
• Due to a more continental climate, the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia experience sharp temperature contrasts between the summer and winter months.
• In most areas, rainfall increases as you travel east to west.
• Mountains receive more precipitation than low-lying places in the Caucasus hence elevation plays a vital effect.
• The driest parts of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains are in the northeast (Dagestan) and the south (Kazakhstan).
• In the northern Caspian Depression, the absolute lowest annual rainfall is 9.84 in (25 cm).
• Precipitation is plentiful in the western slopes.
• Precipitation is higher on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range than on the northern slopes.
• In the western Caucasus, annual precipitation ranges from 39.37–157.48 in (1,000-4,000 mm).
• In the eastern and northern Caucasus, annual precipitation is between 23.62–70.87 in (600-1,800 mm).
• The Caucasus mountain system is noted for its abundant snowfall, yet many areas that are not on the windward slopes do not receive nearly as much of it.
• The Lesser Caucasus Mountains have an average winter snow cover of 3.94–11.81 in (10-30 cm).
• Snowfall is common in the Greater Caucasus Mountains, especially on the southwestern slopes.
• From November through April, avalanches are common.
• The snowiest location in the Caucasus, Mt. Achishkho, has recorded snow depths of 23 ft (7 m).