There is a beautiful mountain system on our planet. It is located on the continent of Eurasia, and more precisely, between the two seas - the Caspian and the Black. It bears a proud name - the Caucasus Mountains. It has coordinates: 42 ° 30 ′ north latitude and 45 ° 00 ′ east longitude. The length of the mountain system is more than one thousand kilometers. Geographically refers to six countries: Russia and the states of the Caucasus region: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, etc.
Until now, it has not been clearly agreed which part of the mainland the Caucasus Mountains belong. Elbrus and Mont Blanc are fighting for the title of the highest peak in Europe . The latter is in the Alps. The geographic location of the Caucasus Mountains is easy to describe according to plan. And this article will help.
Borders
In the days of Ancient Greece, it was the Caucasus and the Bosphorus that divided 2 continents. But the map of the world was constantly changing, peoples migrated. In the Middle Ages, the Don River was considered the border. Much later, in the XVII century, the Swedish geographer led her through the Urals, down the river. Embe to the Caspian Sea. His idea was supported by scientists of that time and the Russian tsar. According to this definition, mountains belong to Asia. On the other hand, in the Great Encyclopedia of Larus, a border is marked that runs south of Kazbek and Elbrus. Thus, both mountains are in Europe.
It is somewhat difficult to describe the geographical location of the Caucasus Mountains as accurately as possible. Opinions regarding territorial affiliation changed solely for political reasons. Europe was singled out as a special part of the world, linking this with the level of development of civilization. The border between the continents gradually shifted east. She became a moving line.
Some scientists, noting the differences in the geological structure of the massif, propose to draw a border along the main ridge of the Greater Caucasus. And this is not surprising. The geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains allows this. Its northern slope will belong to Europe, and the southern - to Asia. This issue is actively discussed by scientists of all six states. The geographers of Azerbaijan and Armenia believe that the Caucasus belongs to Asia, and the scientists of Georgia - that to Europe. Many well-known reputable people believe that the entire massif belongs to Asia, so Elbrus will not be considered the highest point in Europe for a long time.
System Composition
This massif consists of 2 mountain systems: Small and Big Caucasus. Often the latter appears as a single ridge, but this is not so. And if you study the geographical location of the Caucasus Mountains on a map, you can see that it does not apply to those. The Greater Caucasus stretches more than a kilometer from Anapa and the Taman Peninsula almost to Baku itself. Conventionally, it consists of the following parts: Western, Eastern and Central Caucasus. The first zone extends from the Black Sea to Elbrus, the middle - from the highest peak to Kazbek, the latter - from Kazbek to the Caspian Sea.
Western chains originate from the Taman Peninsula. And at first they look more like hills. However, the further east, the higher they become. Their tops are covered with snow and glaciers. The ridges of Dagestan are located in the east of the Greater Caucasus. These are complex systems with river valleys forming canyons. About 1.5 thousand square meters. km of the territory of the Greater Caucasus is covered with glaciers. Most of them are in the central region. There are nine ranges in the Lesser Caucasus: Adjar-Imeretinsky, Karabakh, Bazum and others. The highest of them, located in the middle and eastern parts, are Murov-Dag, Pambak, etc.
Climate
Analyzing the geographical location of the Caucasus Mountains, we see that they are located on the border of two climatic zones - subtropical and temperate. Transcaucasia belongs to the subtropics. The rest of the territory belongs to the temperate zone. The North Caucasus is a warm region. Summer there lasts almost 5 months, and in winter there is no less than -6 ° C. It is short - 2-3 months. In the highlands, the climate is different. There he is influenced by the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, so the weather is more humid.
Due to the complex terrain in the Caucasus, there are many zones that differ from each other. This climate allows you to grow citrus fruits, tea, cotton and other exotic crops that are suitable for the moderate nature of the weather. The geographical location of the Caucasus Mountains in many respects affects the formation of the temperature regime in the nearby territories.
Himalayas and Caucasus Mountains
Often at school, students are asked to compare the geographical location of the Himalayas and the Caucasus Mountains. There is only one similarity: both systems are in Eurasia. But they have many differences:
- The Caucasus Mountains are located on the border of Asia and Europe, while the Himalayas refer only to Asia.
- The average height of the Caucasus Mountains is 4 thousand meters, the Himalayas - 5 thousand meters.
- Also, these mountain systems are located in different climatic zones. The Himalayas are mostly subequatorial, the lesser in the tropics, and the Caucasus in the subtropical and temperate.
As you can see, these two systems are not identical. The geographical position of the Caucasus Mountains and the Himalayas is similar in some instances, and in some not. But both systems are large enough, beautiful, amazing.