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Caucasus

The Caucasus is a region in eastern Europe and western Asia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which includes the Caucasus mountains and surrounding lowlands. It is occasionally considered part of Central Asia.

The highest peak is Elbrus (5642m), which is also considered to be the highest mountain in Europe.

The independent nations that comprise today's Caucasus include Russia (Northern Caucasus district), Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Large, non-independent areas of the Caucasus include Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan, among others. The Caucasus is one of the most linguistically and culturally diverse places on earth.

The southern section of the Caucasus is known as the Transcaucasus.

Historical events:

• The Arab-Khazar Wars
• Conquest of the Caucasus by Russia
• Armenian Genocide
• 1991: Re-establishment of the independence of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan

In Greek mythology, the Caucasus, or Kaukasos was one of the pillars supporting the world. Prometheus was chained there by Zeus. The Roman poet Ovid placed Caucasus in Scythia and depicted it as a cold and stony mountain which was the abode of personified hunger. In a similarly cultural vein, Loreena McKennitt's song "Night Ride Across the Caucasus" vaguely describes this region. Cheese is a major product of this region.

See also

• Ibero-Caucasian peoples
• Ibero-Caucasian languages

External links

• Ethnolinguistic Groups in the Caucasus Region (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/ethnocaucasus.jpg) - University of Texas at Austin (1995)

da:Kaukasus de:Kaukasus es:Cáucaso et:Kaukaasia eo:Kauxkazo fr:Caucase ja:カフカス la:Caucasus nl:Kaukasus pl:Kaukaz (kraina historyczna) pt:Cáucaso sl:Kavkaz sv:Kaukasus uk:Кавказ [[zh:高加索]]

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