CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS

Caucasus Mountains: translation

The Caucasus is a 1,000-kilometer-long mountain system between theBlack SeaandCaspian Sea; its watershed serves as one of the divides between Europe and Asia. The chain is divided between the northerly Greater Caucasus Range and the parallel Lesser Caucasus Range, which lies approximately 100 kilometers to the south. Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) is the highest peak in the range, as well as Europe’s tallest mountain.

The chain, which includes a number of stratovolcanoes, is prone to earthquakes, and in 1988 the Spitak earthquake killed more than 25,000Armenians. There are extensive deposits of rare minerals in the range, as well asoilandnatural gasfields. The mountains define two geopolitical regions: theNorth Caucasus(Ciscaucasia), which includes the Russian regions ofKrasnodarandStavropol Krais,Adygeya,Karachay-Cherkessiya,Kabardino-Balkariya,North Ossetiya,Ingushetiya,Chechnya, andDagestan, and the South Caucasus (Transcaucasia), comprised of the newly independent republics ofArmenia,Azerbaijan, andGeorgia.

The terms “Caucasus” (Kavkaz) and “Caucasian” (kavkazskii) are often used in the Russianlanguageto denote all indigenous peoples of the region, often with derogatory undertones.Many Russians associate theChechens, Azeris, and Georgians with themafiaand/orterrorism.

Russian expansion into the region began with the Caucasian War (1817–1864), and continued with the incorporation of Ottoman territories in the southern zones during the second half of the 19th century. The region is historically part of theMuslimworld and has been the scene of intense civilization conflict for nearly two centuries. Russianliteraturehas long represented the region as a wild but noble environment. As the Russian Orient, the Caucasus was romanticized in the works of Aleksandr Pushkin, the Russian national poet, and later became a focus of many of the works of Leo Tolstoy. Seemingly unending conflict in the region is the key theme of contemporary Russiancinema.

The landscape is highly variable, consisting of glaciers, marshlands,steppe, and alpine meadows. Snowfall is particularly high in the northerly range. Geographic challenges presented by the steep topography maketransportationand commercial activity quite difficult. The Caucasus is rather poor and underdeveloped in terms ofindustrywhen compared to other parts of the former Soviet Union.

See alsoEthnic violence; Immigration; Islam; Islamism.