Caucasus

The Caucasus, sometimes called Caucasia, is a vast isthmus that connects Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Best known for its extensive mountain chains, the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, the region features great diversity of climate, wildlife, and natural resources. Human cultures in the area also vary extensively, with more than fifty ethnic groups within four major countries occupying the region. Throughout history, many imperialist powers have claimed control of the Caucasus. Today, however, most of the nations in the region are independent.

Geography and Wildlife

Although the Caucasus region is an isthmus, a landform that connects larger lands, it is in itself a vast place. The region comprises approximately 170,000 square miles (440,000 square kilometers) of land connecting Europe and Asia. The region is so large that its territory is claimed by four countries. Russia occupies the northern parts of the Caucasus, while the countries of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia occupy the southern areas.

The most prominent geographical features of the Caucasus region are two chains of mountains that stretch from northwest to southeast. These mountains are called the Greater Caucasus and the Lesser Caucasus. The mountains and the valley between them help to define the northern and southern regions of the Caucasus. They also form part of the dividing line between Europe and Asia. These mountain chains are additionally noteworthy for their many extremely high peaks including Mount Elbrus, an extinct volcano which is the highest peak in Europe reaching 5,642 meters (18,510 feet).

The Caucasus Mountains and the surrounding region also feature several rivers, including the Kura, Kuban, Kuma, and Terek Rivers. These rivers provide important waterways connecting countries in the region with the Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east, two great bodies of water flanking the Caucasus region. These seas and their ports are invaluable for international trade. In addition, power companies in the area have begun to use the rapid waters coming from the mountains to generate hydroelectric power.

The size and location of the mountains significantly impacts the climate of the Caucasus. In the North, the Greater Caucasus holds the cold, dry air of continental Europe. That creates frigid, arid, sometimes even desert-like conditions in parts of southern Russia. Meanwhile, the area south of the mountain ranges has a warmer Mediterranean climate with more regular rainfall. The conditions in the South have contributed to rich soil and bountiful agriculture, with farmers producing thriving crops of subtropical fruits, grapes, and tobacco. Abundant grasses also allow farm animals to graze widely over the land.

Some parts of the Caucasus, particularly the warmer southern regions and the beaches of the Caspian and Black Seas, are popular among tourists. Mining companies also value the region for its natural resources, such as iron, copper, and manganese. In addition, oil is abundant beneath the Caspian and parts of Azerbaijan while coal and natural gas occur elsewhere in the region. Oil and natural gas pipelines span the Caucasus region. Using its abundant natural resources, the region produces cast iron and steel, hard-metal alloys, automobiles, rubber products, cement, clothing and materials, and shoes.

The varied climates, landforms, and resources of the Caucasus region have helped to foster a great diversity of wildlife. Rare plants and animals, unseen in other lands, roam freely in some parts of the mountain ranges and nearby waterways. Some of the rarest creatures in the region include the Siberian crane, Baltic sturgeon, European bison, and Saiga antelope. Other species in the region include the endemic long-clawed mole vole, the long-eared hedgehog, and the mountain jerboa.

Cultures and History

The great diversity of the Caucasus extends also to the people who inhabit the area. More than fifty ethnic groups make their homes in the Caucasus, mostly along the Black Sea coast. These groups speak a wide variety of languages, mostly from the Indo-European and Turkic linguistic families. A few of the more prominent tongues spoken include Russian, Armenian, Ossetian, Azerbaijani, Chechen, and Georgian. Similarly, the people practice a wide range of religions, including Shiite and Sunni Islam, Russian Orthodox Christianity, and Judaism.

Scientists have long been fascinated by the unique cultural mix of people in the Caucasus region. Eighteenth-century German anthropologist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752-1840) performed studies of Indigenous peoples in the area and popularized the term "Caucasian" as a racial designation for all White people. Modern anthropologists have largely discredited Blumenbach's theories, though many people still use Caucasian as a racial term.

The Caucasus region has been crucial for people of many cultures since the beginning of human history. Prehistoric people settled in the mountains and set up villages. Later, after the first great civilizations developed in the Mesopotamian region, the Caucasus took on another important role. As the primary land route between Europe and Asia, the Caucasus served as a conduit for information to pass between the two continents. It also became a source of intrigue for many people, including the ancient Greeks, who set many of their myths among the jagged, unyielding peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. According to one myth, the titan Prometheus was chained in those mountains after he defied the chief god Zeus.

The position of the Caucasus between two continents and many nations has led to a long succession of conquests and conflicts. Several empires have fought for and claimed the region. Some of the earliest included the Persian and Ottoman Empires. Following many struggles for land and influence, the Russian Empire became the prominent force in the area by the 1800s. When that empire fell in 1917, three republics in the Caucasus—Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan—attempted to form their own states. Their bid for freedom ended when the Soviet Union claimed the Caucasus in 1922. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Caucasian republics finally achieved their independence.

Bibliography

De Waal, Thomas. The Caucasus: An Introduction. 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 2019.

Gasimov, Zaur. "The Caucasus." European History Online, ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/crossroads/border-regions/zaur-gasimov-the-caucasus. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Griffin, Nicholas. Caucasus: A Journey to the Land between Christianity and Islam. St. Martin's Press, 2003.

King, Charles. The Ghost of Freedom: A History of the Caucasus. Oxford UP, 2008.

"Western Caucasus." United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, whc.unesco.org/en/list/900. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

"The World Factbook: Georgia." Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/georgia. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.