Caucasus

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Caucasus

region and mountains, Eurasia

Also known as: Caucasia, Caucasus Mountains, Kavkaz, Kavkazsky Mountains

Written by Nikolay Andreyevich Gvozdetsky, Lewis Owen•All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Oct 19, 2024 • Article History

Russian:: Kavkaz

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Caucasus, mountain system and region lying between the Black Sea (west) and the Caspian Sea (east) and occupied by Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. The great historic barrier of the Caucasus Mountains rises up across the wide isthmus separating the Black and Caspian seas in the region where Europe and Asia converge. Trending generally from northwest to southeast, the mountains consist of two ranges—the Greater Caucasus (Russian: Bolshoy Kavkaz) in the north and the Lesser Caucasus (Maly Kavkaz) in the south. Mount Elbrus in the Greater Caucasus range, at 18,510 feet (5,642 metres), is the highest peak. The watershed of ...(100 of 4120 words)

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