Caucasus Mountains

Caucasus Mountains
Aerial view of the Caucasus Mountains
Highest point
Peak	Mount Elbrus
Elevation	5,642 m (18,510 ft)
Coordinates	43°21′18″N 42°26′31″E / 43.35500°N 42.44194°E / 43.35500; 42.44194
Dimensions
Length	1,100 km (680 mi)
Width	160 km (99 mi)
Geography
Topographic map
Countries	List Russia Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan Turkey Iran
Range coordinates	42°30′N 45°00′E / 42.5°N 45°E / 42.5; 45Coordinates: 42°30′N 45°00′E / 42.5°N 45°E / 42.5; 45

The Caucasus Mountains are a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region.

The Caucasus Mountains include the Greater Caucasus in the north and Lesser Caucasus in the south. The Greater Caucasus runs west-northwest to east-southeast, from the Caucasian Natural Reserve in the vicinity of Sochi on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea nearly to Baku on the Caspian Sea. The Lesser Caucasus runs parallel to the Greater about 100 km (62 mi) south. The Greater and Lesser Caucasus ranges are connected by the Likhi Range, and to the west and east of the Likhi Range lie the Colchis Plain and the Kur-Araz Lowland. The Meskheti Range is a part of the Lesser Caucasus system. In the southeast the Aras River separates the Lesser Caucasus from the Talysh Mountains which straddle the border of southeastern Azerbaijan and Iran. The Lesser Caucasus and the Armenian Highland constitute the Transcaucasian Highland, which at their western end converge with the highland plateau of Eastern Anatolia in the far north east of Turkey. The highest peak in the Caucasus range is Mount Elbrus in the Greater Caucasus, which rises to a height of 5,642 metres (18,510 ft) above sea level. Mountains near Sochi hosted part of the 2014 Winter Olympics.