Caucasus

The Caucasus , a region bordering Asia Minor, is located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which includes the Caucasus Mountains and surrounding lowlands. The highest peak is Mount Elbrus (5642m).

Related Topics:
Black Sea - Caspian Sea - Caucasus Mountains - Mount Elbrus

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The nations that comprise today's Caucasus include Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and parts of Russia. The northern slopes of the Caucasus are in the Russian Federation: Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai and the autonomous republics Adygea, Kalmykia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan. The northern section of the Caucasus is known as the Ciscaucasus.

Related Topics:
Georgia - Armenia - Azerbaijan - Russia - Russian Federation - Krasnodar Krai - Stavropol Krai - Adygea - Kalmykia - Karachay-Cherkessia - Kabardino-Balkaria - North Ossetia - Ingushetia - Chechnya - Dagestan - Ciscaucasus

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Three nationalistic political entities, comprising part of the area, claim independence, but are not acknowledged by the international institutions: Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia. The Caucasus is one of the most linguistically and culturally diverse places on Earth. The Caucasus region (Caucasia) is geographically a part of Asia, but historically and culturally it is often seen as a part of Europe.

Related Topics:
Abkhazia - Nagorno-Karabakh - South Ossetia - Linguistic - Culturally - Asia - Europe

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The southern section of the Caucasus is known as the Transcaucasus.

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Historical events:

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• The Arab-Khazar Wars
• Conquest of the Caucasus by Russia
• Armenian Genocide
• 1991: Re-establishment of the independence of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan

The Biblical Mount Ararat where Noah's Ark is said to have landed is regarded 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 depicted it as a cold and stony mountain which was the abode of personified hunger. Cheese is a major product of this region.

Related Topics:
Ararat - Noah's Ark - Greek mythology - Prometheus - Zeus - Roman - Ovid - Scythia - Cheese

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Caucasus: See also ►