Lesser Caucasus
Aragats mount in Armenia
Highest point
PeakAragats[1]
Elevation4,090 m (13,420 ft)
Dimensions
Length600 km (370 mi) NW-SE
Geography
Satellite image; the snowy mountains to the south are the Lesser Caucasus.
CountriesArmenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
Range coordinates41°N 44°E / 41°N 44°E / 41; 44
Parent rangeCaucasian / Armenian Highlands
Borders onGreater Caucasus

The Lesser Caucasus' or Lesser Caucasus Mountains, also called Caucasus Minor, is the second of the two main ranges of the Caucasus Mountains, of length about 600 km (370 mi). The western portion of the Lesser Caucasus overlaps and converges with east Turkey and northwest Iran. It runs parallel to the Greater Caucasus, at a distance averaging about 100 km (62 mi) south from the Likhi Range (Georgia) and limits east Turkey from the north and north-east. It is connected to the Greater Caucasus by the Likhi Range (Georgia) and separated from it by the Kolkhida Lowland (Georgia) in the west and Kura-Aras Lowland (Azerbaijan) (by the Kura River) in the east.

Description

The highest peak is Aragats in Armenia, 4,090 m (13,420 ft).[1]

The borders between Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran run through the range, although its crest does not usually define the border. The range was historically called Anticaucasus or Anti-Caucasus (Greek: Αντι-Καύκασος, Russian: Антикавка́з, Анти-Кавка́з). This usage is commonly found in older sources.[2][3] Current usage tends towards using the name Lesser Caucasus, but Anti-caucasus can still be found in modern texts.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Mount Aragats | mountain, Armenia". Britannica.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
  2. ^ Bealby, John Thomas; Kropotkin, Peter Alexeivitch (1911). "Caucasus" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 05 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 550–555.
  3. ^ Reclus, Onésime (1892). A Bird's-eye View of the World. Ticknor. p. 264. anti caucasus.
  4. ^ Sharma, h s (1981). Perspective in Geomorphology Volume I.
  5. ^ Maisuradze, G.M. (1989-08-15). "Anthropogene of the anticaucasus". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology - PALAEOGEOGR PALAEOCLIMATOL. 72: 53–62. doi:10.1016/0031-0182(89)90131-4.


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