Greater Caucasus

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Greater Caucasus (Russian: Большой Кавказ, Azerbaijani: Böyük Qafqaz Dağları, Armenian - Մեծ Կովկաս, sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range of Caucasus mountains.

It stretches for about 1200 km from West-North-West to East-South-East, between the Taman Peninsula of the Black Sea to the Abseron Peninsula of the Caspian Sea: from the Caucasian Natural Reserve 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:

• West Caucasus, from the Black Sea to Mount Elbrus
• Central Caucasus, from Mount Elbrus to Mount Kazbek
• East Caucasus, from Mount Kazbek to the Caspian Sea

The border of Russia with Georgia and Azerbaijan runs along the most of its length.

[edit] Peaks

• Mount Elbrus, at 5642 m (18,506 ft.) the highest mountain in Europe.
• Mount Gistola (4859 m, 43.05° N 42.99° E)
• Shkhara (5201 m, 43.01° N 43.17° E)
• Kazbek (5047 m, 42.75° N 44.55° E)
• Tebulosmta (4493 m, 42.64° N 45.32° E)
• Diklosmta (4285 m, 42.55° N 45.80° E)
• Mount Bazardyuzyu (4466 m, 41.27° N 47.79° E)
• Babadag (3629 m, 41.05° N 48.29° E)

[edit] Passes

• Marukhis Ugheltekhili (43.38° N 41.37° E)
• Pereval Klukhorskiy (2786 m, 43.26° N 41.80° E)
• Mamison Pass (2820 m,42.72° N 43.80° E)
• Ivris Ugheltekhili (2379 m,42.56° N 44.45° E)
• Dübrar Pass (2209 m,40.96° N 48.63° E)