Greater Caucasus

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Greater Caucasus
Range
Mountainous landscape of Arkhyz
Countries Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan
Part of Caucasus Mountains
Borders on Lesser Caucasus
Highest point Mount Elbrus
 - elevation 5,642 m (18,510 ft)
 - coordinates 43°21′18″N 42°26′31″E / 43.355°N 42.44194°E / 43.355; 42.44194
Length 1,200 km (746 mi)
Satellite image

Greater Caucasus (Russian: Большой Кавказ, Azerbaijani: Böyük Qafqaz Dağları, Georgian: დიდი კავკასიონი), sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains.

It stretches for about 1200 km from west-northwest to east-southeast, between the Taman Peninsula of the Black Sea to the Absheron Peninsula of the Caspian Sea: from the Western Caucasus in the vicinity of Sochi on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea and reaching nearly to Baku on the Caspian.

The range is traditionally separated into three parts:

  • Western Caucasus, from the Black Sea to Mount Elbrus
  • Central Caucasus, from Mount Elbrus to Mount Kazbek
  • Eastern Caucasus, from Mount Kazbek to the Caspian Sea

The border of Russia with Abkhazia, Georgia and Azerbaijan runs along the most of its length. The Georgian Military Road (Darial Gorge), Ossetian Military Road, and Trans-Caucasus Highway traverse this mountain range at an altitudes of up to 3,000 meters.

[edit] Peaks

[edit] Passes

[edit] Valleys

The snow-capped peaks of the Greater Caucasus.