A report about the Caucasus Mountains, a majestic attraction and a highlight of the Caucasus, is presented in this article.

Message about the Caucasus Mountains

Caucasus mountains geographic location

They are spread between Asia and Europe, the Middle and Near East. The mountains of the Caucasus region are divided into 2 systems - the Lesser and Greater Caucasus. The Greater Caucasus is located almost to Baku from Taman and includes the Western, Central and Eastern Caucasus. But the Lesser Caucasus is a mountain range near the Black Sea. They are located between the Black Sea and Caspian coasts, covering the territories of such countries as South Ossetia, Russia, Abkhazia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan.

In translation, their name means "mountains hold the sky." The length of the Caucasus Mountains is 1100 km, and their width is 180 km. The most famous and highest peaks of the system are Mount Elbrus and Kazbek.

How old are the Caucasus Mountains?

The Caucasian mountain system is the same age as the Alps and has a 30-million history inscribed in Greek myths and biblical lines. According to legend, when Noah released a dove from the ark in search of land, he brought a twig to Noah from the mountains of the Caucasian system. And the myths indicate that Prometheus, the man who gave fire to people, is chained here.

What do the Caucasus Mountains look like?

The mountains are fraught with many unusual things. On their peaks one can find preserved glaciation. Until now, earthquakes have been observed here, since the Caucasus Mountains are young from a geological point of view.

Their appearance is due to the relief, which is represented by different forms. Mountain peaks with sharp peaks shot up under the very sky. With their outlines, they look either like the walls of a castle with towers, or like the Egyptian pyramids. In the mountains there are also glaciers, rivers and areas with a surface heavily damaged by wind erosion.

Climate

The climate of the mountain system of the Caucasus is quite diverse. These places have a pronounced zonality. These mountains are a natural barrier that prevents the movement of air masses, thereby determining the diversity of the climate. The southern and western slopes receive much more precipitation than the northern and eastern slopes. The Caucasus Mountains are located in almost all climatic zones: from humid subtropics with humid and warm winters, dry hot summers to a dry continental climate, turning into a semi-desert in the east.

Near the foothills, snowy cold winters with dry summers are observed, and the higher the mountains, the lower the temperature. At an altitude of 3.5 thousand km. it reaches -4 0 C.

Flora and fauna

The mountains of the Caucasus are inhabited by unique animals. Among them are chamois, wild boars, mountain goats, foxes and bears, mountain jerboa and ground squirrel, and bears and leopards live in remote places. On the way from the foot to the top, meadow alpine grasses and coniferous forests grow, which “feed” on rivers, lakes, waterfalls, mineral water springs.

• For the first time, a man climbed the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains on July 22, 1829.
• There are a lot of invertebrate species in the Caucasus, for example, about 1000 species of spiders still live there.

  In the Caucasus 6349 species of flowering plants, including 1600 native species.

  In the Caucasus many endemic representatives- slightly less than 1600 species of flora, 32 species of mammals and 3 species of birds.

• Permafrost starts at altitude 3000-3500 m.

We hope that the report about the Caucasus Mountains helped you prepare for the lesson. And you can leave your message about the Caucasus Mountains through the comment form below.

The mountains of the Caucasus, born in the collision of the Eurasian and Arabian plates, are like a symbol of the mentality of the peoples living next to them. Proud and tall, they stand as a miraculous wall between the Asian and European parts of our continent on land. Mankind has not decided whether to attribute them to Europe or Asia.

The height of the Caucasus Mountains: 5642 m (Great Caucasus) and 3724 m (Little Caucasus).

The length of the Greater Caucasus: 1100 km. small - 600 km.

See the geographic location of the Caucasus Mountains or where they are located and how they are located on the map. To enlarge the map of the Caucasus Mountains, just click on it.

Not crossed by rivers, the Caucasian ranges are called the watershed line. The mountain system of the Caucasus, the same age as the Alps, with a history of thirty million years, is firmly inscribed in the memory of mankind through biblical lines and Greek myths. It was on one of the mountains of the system that a dove released from Noah's ark found a branch, on top of Ararat. The legendary Prometheus, who gave fire to people, was chained to one of the Caucasian rocks.

The Caucasus is divided into two parts, which are called the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. The first stretches from Taman almost to Baku and consists of the Western, Central and Eastern Caucasus. One and a half thousand square kilometers of ice, the highest point of Eurasia - Elbrus (the peak of the Caucasus Mountains), an iron mountain, and six mountain peaks, five thousand kilometers high - that's what the Greater Caucasus is.

The Lesser Caucasus is a mountain range near the Black Sea, with peaks up to four kilometers high.

The Caucasus Mountains are located between the Caspian and the Black Sea coasts and simultaneously on the territory of several countries. These are Russia, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The climate of the Caucasus is diverse: from typically maritime in Abkhazia, it changes to sharply continental in Armenia.

The Caucasus is inhabited by unique animals - chamois, mountain goats, wild boars, in especially remote and hard-to-reach places you can meet a leopard or a bear.

Alpine meadow grasses, coniferous forests climbing up from the foothills, turbulent rivers, lakes, waterfalls, mineral water springs, the purest air.

It is thanks to such a successful combination of values ​​for human health that the region has a huge number of sanatoriums and resorts.

Rock climbers are attracted by the royal Elbrus and its neighbors - Shkhara, Kazbek, Dzhangitau, Dykhtau and Koshnantau. Among the snows of the Caucasus there is a place for skiers and snowboarders, lovers of hiking and thrills, adherents of rafting, as well as all those who value their health. Terrenkur, Norwegian walking, rock climbing, river rafting, skiing and many other outdoor activities are offered by the Caucasus.

Once having visited the mountains, sung by the "genius of Lermontov", you will remember them for a lifetime.

Video: Wildlife of Russia 4 of 6 Caucasus Mountains.

Video: Hiking in the Caucasus mountains.

They are no less famous in the world than the Cordillera, a mountain system that stretches along the western outskirts of North and South America for as much as eighteen thousand kilometers in length and in width for 1600 kilometers, with the highest peak of Denali at 6190 meters above sea level in North America, in also Aconcagua - 6963 meters above sea level in South America. Many countries border the Cordillera - Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. No less famous is the Cordillera mountain system of the Himalayas with the highest peak Chogori - 8611 meters above sea level on the border of China and Pakistan and with another peak Lhotse, exceeding a height of eight kilometers on the border of China and Nepal. On the globe, Tibet is also admired with the highest peak in the world, Everest - 8852 meters above sea level. However, there are other mountain systems on Earth on different continents that attract attention and which thousands and thousands of brave conquerors of peaks strive to climb.

From the legendary Taman to the gray Caspian

The Great Caucasus Mountains are essentially two mountain systems - the Greater and Lesser Caucasus in Eurasia. They stretched for more than 1,100 kilometers from northwest to southeast, and more specifically, from the Taman Peninsula in the region and along the Black Sea coast to the Absheron Peninsula near the gray Caspian and near the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku. The maximum width of the mountain system is 180 kilometers. Compared to the Cordillera, this is almost a ninth, but nevertheless noticeable and being the root cause of the appearance of a subtropical zone in Russia. In which over 15 million of our fellow citizens and guests from near and far abroad improve their health and have a good rest every year. The Greater Caucasus is divided into three parts: Western - from the Black Sea to Elbrus; Central - from Elbrus to Kazbek and finally the Eastern Caucasus - from Kazbek to the Caspian Sea. As for the height above sea level, at Everest it is 5642 meters, at Kazbek 5033. The total area of ​​the Great Caucasus Mountains is 1400 square kilometers. In part, this is the land of eternal snows and glaciers. The area of ​​glaciers goes off scale for 2050 square kilometers. A major center of icing is Mount Elbrus plus the Bezengi wall - 17 kilometers.

The land of five dozen nations

The Great Caucasus Mountains are densely populated. Meaning its foothills. Abkhazians, Ingushs, Ossetians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Circassians (Circassians) and many other nationalities live here, united by a common name - the Caucasian peoples. Most of them are Muslims. But Christians are also widely represented - Ukrainians, Georgians, Russians, Armenians, as well as a noticeable part of Ossetians and Abkhazians. By the way, Armenian and Georgian churches are the oldest in the world. Thanks largely to them, these two peoples of the Great Caucasus have retained their identity, customs and customs. We add to this - the Caucasian peoples for a hundred years were under foreign control - the Turks, Persians, Russians. Now others have gained independence, become sovereign.

twenty-five sky-high peaks

That is how many of them the Great Caucasus has from Elbrus to Dombay-Ulgen - 4046 meters above sea level. Popular with climbers: Dykhtau - 5204 meters above sea level; Pushkin peak - 5100 m., we have already mentioned Kazbek; Shota Rustaveli - 4960m., Gulchi-Tau - 4447 meters, etc.

The Great Caucasus is abundant in rivers, lakes and waterfalls

Originating at the mountain peaks, some flow into - Bzyb, Kodor, Ingur (Inguri), Rioni, Mzymta, etc. B - the largest Kuban in the Krasnodar Territory. And in the Caspian - Kura, Samur, Terek, Sunzha, Baksan - there are more than two dozen of them in total. Among the majestic Caucasus Mountains is the world-famous Lake Sevan (Armenia). It is located at an altitude of 1900 meters above sea level. Its area is 1240 square kilometers, the depth is from twenty to over eighty meters. 28 rivers flow into the lake, but only one flows out - Hrazdan, a tributary of the Araks. By the way, it will be noted - both the Caspian and the Black Seas are the remnants of the once world ocean Tethys. The names of the Black Sea have changed since ancient times - Khazar, Sugde, Temarun, Cimmerian, Akhshaena, Blue, Tauride, Holy and even Ocean. The current name is due to its color in raging storms. It really does look black. In the old days, he was also fearfully called not hospitable, angry. The Caspian reservoir got its name by the name of the tribes of horse breeders who once lived near its shores - the Caspians. It was also called Girkansky, Dzhurazhansky, Khvalynsky, Derbent - more than seven dozen names in total.

And about one more unique water body of the Great Caucasus - the Zeygalan waterfall, which is fantastic in terms of natural beauty (otherwise it is also called the Great Zeygelan waterfall). It is located in North Ossetia in the valley of the Midagrabindon River, seven kilometers south of the village of Dzhimara. The height of the fall is 600 meters. Translated from Ossetian - "falling avalanche". It is one of the ten most grandiose and famous waterfalls in the world. It pushes back fellow Gavarni in France - 422 meters high and Krimml in Austria - 380 meters. It originates from under the hanging glacier at an altitude of 650-700 meters. The peak flow occurs in the summer months of July-August. In winter it dries up and is marked only by ice smudges on the rocks. The waterfall area is part of the Kazbek-Dzhimarai mountain junction, the largest not only in North Ossetia, but in the entire Great Caucasus. The place is delightful in its beauties - on the slopes of the mountains, a sea of ​​​​flowers, herbs, aromas of alpine meadows are dizzy. But you should be careful - the waterfall is dangerous for people: rockfalls happen, sometimes pieces from a melting glacier fly from above. Nevertheless, the waterfall is actively visited. Tourists shoot a grandiose panorama of the waterfall with a camera or TV camera.

Flora and fauna of the Great Caucasus

As for the flora, it is represented by almost six and a half thousand flowering plants. Of these, 166 are unique to mountains. The subtropics are famous for dozens of palm species. Relic juniper and pistachio grow here; Pitsunda pine, oaks, hornbeams, mimosa, tulip tree, magnolias, bamboo - you can’t list all the tree species. Individual patriarchal oaks over a thousand years old. Tourists are advised to walk in the juniper groves. Especially for those with asthma or bronchitis. The breath of juniper kills all microbes and viruses in a person in minutes. Day, two, three walks, and you seem to be born again! This is also facilitated by sea air, thickly infused with salts of bromine, calcium, potassium, etc.

As for the fauna of the Great Caucasus Mountains, it is also rich and diverse here. You will also come across wild boars (beware of mothers and fathers with cubs: the fangs of males are sharp, and there were cases when a meeting with wild boars ended in serious injuries or, worse, death!). There are also chamois, mountain goats, and bears. Once lived both lynxes and leopards. Asiatic lions and tigers. The Caucasian bison became extinct in 1925. The last elk was killed in 1810. A great variety of invertebrates - only spiders in a thousand species. The Great Caucasus is also the habitat of golden eagles, which are caught by poachers and sold abroad for big money. They like to hunt with golden eagles in the Caucasus itself, and in Kazakhstan, and in Kyrgyzstan, and in Saudi Arabia, in other regions and countries of the planet.

Stele of the Soaring Eagle

It appeared in 2013 near the resort villages and Supsekh, not far from Varvarovka, from where the Turkish Stream gas pipeline originates, and was opened as a race for the Day of Russia. Nine kilometers from Anapa. The authors are the sculptor V. Polyakov in collaboration with the architect Y. Rysin.

The monument is made of cold bronze, which guarantees its durability and which is not afraid of any weather changes. A soaring eagle with a wide wingspan and head proudly raised to the sky means the beginning of the Great Caucasus Mountains. In front of the stele there is a platform for vehicles. Tourists, and here they are, passing to other resort villages of Bolshoi and Maly Utrish, thousands and thousands will definitely stop and take pictures or film the monument on a video camera. By the way, the "Soaring Eagle" offers a stunning view of Anapa and the bays, in which the city is freely spread out (in ancient times it bore the mysterious ancient Greek name Gorgippia, and the slave trade was actively conducted in it, its own coins were minted, and representatives of the nobility from different regions of the Caucasus came and sailed here for white-faced brides!). In good weather, the coast is visible right up to the bank of Mary Magdalene, which is near the village - and where divers come and flock not only from all over Russia, but also from abroad. So, the Great Caucasus Mountains begin from the foothills and, in particular, from Bald Mountain with a height of only 319 meters above sea level, other hills are even lower. The foothills enter the very beginning of the Semisamsky ridge, which is part of the chain of the Caucasus Mountains. And Bald Mountain is called because of the absence of any vegetation on it at all. No, no, herbs and flowers are found there. But not more. Let us remind you once again - from the center of Anapa to Bald Mountain is nine kilometers, and from the outskirts of the city it is three times less. And with your hand, as they say, file up to the Small and. And these places are well known to tourists.

Near Bolshoi Utrish, one of the main attractions of the beginning of the Great Caucasus is a dolphinarium on the high seas and with a theater. During the high season, several performances are given daily. Artists are sea animals. Towards the end of a kind of performance, bottlenose dolphins deftly jump onto the platform and willingly take pictures with everyone or filmed on a television camera. You can hug them heartily, kiss them or swim in the waters of the dolphinarium. Meanwhile, the seal, leaning on its tail, recklessly applauds the audience with its flippers. On the Big Utrish, according to legends, the hero Prometheus was chained to one of the rocks, who gave people the sacred fire and thereby caused fierce anger from the main god of Olympus, Zeus the Thunderer. Zeus ordered the disobedient to be chained to a rock with strong chains, and a bloodthirsty eagle flew to the martyr to torment his liver with sharp claws. True, residents of neighboring Sochi Anapa object, de Prometheus was chained in the Eagle Rocks area near the former capital of the 2014 Winter Olympics. And they even built a monument to the hero - Prometheus is standing on a mountain with chains torn in his hands, and he has a proud look of a winner! And yet, the assertion of the Sochi residents raises doubts: Eagle Rocks are located far from the sea, near a fast river. But in the open-air museum in the center of Anapa "Gorgippiya" they found a crypt with frescoes of the exploits of another mythological hero - Hercules. And from the myths of Ancient Greece it is known for certain that it was Hercules who freed Prometheus from the chains. He drove the bloodthirsty eagle away. Who is right and who is wrong - let the experts decide. But in Anapa, which is no less than two and a half thousand years old, they stubbornly believe that the rock of Prometheus is still located on Bolshoi Utrish. In their opinion, another legend is irrefutable - de the Argonauts, led by their brave captain Jason, sailed past the rocks of the Big Utrish in search of the Golden Fleece. These are the secrets shrouded in the beginning of the Great Caucasus Mountains near Anapa and the stele of the Soaring Eagle.

Peaks from Novorossiysk to Gelendzhik

Today there are five resort areas: Sochi, Gelendzhik, Tuapse, Anapa and Taman. From each of them to the other, as they say, within easy reach. And all of them stretched along the Black Sea coast with the exception of Taman, which also has access to the Sea of ​​Azov. And the Black Sea coast is mostly protected by mountains. Except for Anapa, where, as we have noticed, the Great Caucasus Mountains begin, but in general the municipality goes from the sea to the steppe expanses. And only in the region of Novorossiysk, as a continuation of the Semisamsky ridge with Lysa Gora, the foothills gradually rise, turning into the Markotkhsky ridge or on the Adygsky ridge in Markotkh, stretching from Novorossiysk towards Gelendzhik for more than ninety kilometers. The highest mountain towering over Novorossiysk is Sugarloaf (558 meters above sea level). Gradually rising, the Markotkhsky ridge in some places goes up more than 700 meters. It consists of limestone, sandstone, clay, but its main component is marl, which is used to make cement. This is especially noticeable near Novorossiysk - factories for the production of this type of building materials are operating, and dust is around the pillar. Markotkhsky ridge, we note, runs parallel to and south of the Main Caucasian ridge. There are many sights between Novorossiysk and Anapa. In particular, the natural monument is the Sheskharis juniper forest. We talked about the healing properties of the relic juniper above, therefore we will not repeat ourselves, we only emphasize that it is especially useful in the treatment of asthma and bronchi. From Anapa to Novorossiysk directly 40 kilometers, along the highway - 52. You can overcome them in a little more than forty minutes. And if you drive another 14 kilometers towards Gelendzhik, then you will find yourself on the Abrau Peninsula, at the southern end of which is Bolshoi Utrish with its famous dolphinarium on the high seas and a theater. But the main feature of the peninsula is undoubtedly the place Abrau-Dyurso, nestled among the mountains and part of the municipality of the resort city of Novorossiysk.

Specific estate of Russian sovereigns

The village has a double name -. And this has its own reason. One village is located in the mountains, among fantastically beautiful nature. There is a river of the same name and the largest freshwater lake in the Caucasus with the same name as the village. With a population of about three thousand, living like in paradise. Mild climate, warm winters and vineyards, vineyards, vineyards. Lake Abrau is 3100 meters long, 630 meters wide, 8 to 11 meters deep, by the way, there are fish in it. Gorgeous embankment - with gazebos, benches. In summer, the water is warm, and you can swim in the lake with pleasure. But you can plunge into the Black Sea. At the second village of the royal estate - Durso. Today there are recreation centers and health resorts where you can relax and get medical treatment.

The village of Abrau is known in the world for its exquisite taste of Russian champagne. At the origins of its production was Prince Lev Golitsyn. And the baton was picked up, surprisingly, by Joseph Stalin, who ordered the production of domestic champagne in the southern regions of the country and in Abrau, in particular. And such an indication of his was contained in a government decree of 1936. As for the production of champagne under the patronage of Golitsyn, its first batch was produced in 1898. And two years later, a powerful winery appeared in Abrau. A highway was laid from Novorossiysk to the village. Now in Abrau there is a museum of famous wines, as well as a company store where tourists can buy Russian champagne under the Abrau-Durso brand, dry wines and even cognac if they wish. There are many entertainments on the coast in Durso - water rides, "bananas", "pills", you can rush through the waves on jet skis with a breeze. And in Abrau, horseback riding along the local foothills, mountain tourism, including jeeping or extreme trips, but already on mountain bikes, are popular.

Markoth near Gelendzhik

To the famous no less than Anapa, a resort from Novorossiysk, the distance is mere trifles - directly three dozen kilometers, ten kilometers more along the highway. The trip will take somewhere a little over forty minutes. And now you will see the longest embankment in the world - 14 kilometers. With a graceful figure of a bride made of white marble, which is clearly visible from the height of the Markoth Range at 762 meters above sea level. Translated from the Adyghe "Markotkh" literally means "berry places", and here you can collect really tasty blackberries in buckets. It pricks, it's true, but what is called "you can't even catch a fish from a pond without difficulty!". There are several high peaks in the vicinity of Gelendzhik - Shakhan near the Zhane River (700 meters above sea level); Pshada - 741 meters near the river of the same name and 43 kilometers long, flowing into the Black Sea; Gebius - 735 meters above sea level. The Markothsky Range itself stretches along the Gelendzhik Bay - charmingly beautiful from a bird's eye view, and even more so from the tops of the surrounding mountains. The resort is famous for its Safari Park, where lions, tigers, bears and other animals live in natural conditions. You can also watch their life from the chairlift. At the top of the Mrkotkh Ridge there is a fantastic forest with a goblin, a mermaid on the branches of a tree, Baba Yaga and other fairy tale characters. From the observation deck, yachts and other vessels in the bay, gulls, cormorants, petrels, soaring over the blue sea with white crests of waves, are clearly visible.

And the mountains are getting higher, and the mountains are getting steeper!

And this is true if you go from Gelendzhik to the Bolshoi - the southern capital of Russia, stretching along the Black Sea coast for as much as one hundred and forty-five kilometers. There is only one city in the world longer than the former capital of the last Winter Olympic Games, in which our team triumphantly won and which amazed the planet with their colorful opening and closing ceremonies - the capital of Mexico, Mexico City - 200 kilometers. And in the native Fatherland, Sochi is ahead of Volgograd in length, stretching along the great Volga River for more than 90 kilometers. So about the height of the local mountains. Having overcome the distance from Gelendzhik to Sochi of 246 kilometers in almost four hours (the game is worth the candle!), You can climb, including as part of excursion groups, one of the surrounding peaks. You can start small - Mount Akhun - 663 meters above sea level. And then the height of the mountains will increase: Sugar, fifteen kilometers from the city - 1555 meters; Przegishva - 2216 meters; Big Weaver - 2368 meters; Achishkho - 2391 meters; Bzerli peak - 2482 meters; Perevalnaya South - 2503 meters; Stone pillar - 2509 meters; Pshekho-Su - 2743 meters; Oshten - 2804 meters; Fisht - 2853 meters; Peak Kozhevnikov - 3070 meters; Peak Needle - 3168 meters; Sugar Pseashkho - 3189 meters; Atheist - 3256 meters and finally the highest peak of the entire Kuban Tsakhvoa - 3346 meters above sea level. This is not so little, considering that the highest peak of the Great Caucasus Mountains and even Europe is Elbrus, 5642 meters above sea level.

The famous ski resort "Krasnaya Polyana"

It is located in the middle reaches of the mountain river Mzymta, which is translated from the Adyghe - "mad", uncontrollable", "indomitable" - there are other interpretations. It flows into the Black Sea. It is 39 kilometers long. Over the gorge above it, the famous pedestrian suspension bridge is the most longest in the world. From it, extreme sports lovers jump into the abyss on an elastic cable. Here, a popular attraction is a giant swing with a pendulum span of half a kilometer. From the west near Mount Achishkho, from the east - the Aibga ridge. Immediately in the vicinity is Fisht peak, in honor of which was named the stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games were held in 2014. Krasnaya Polyana is a ski resort that can compete with its counterparts in Switzerland or other mountainous places on the planet. There are more than 100 kilometers of snow runs of different difficulty levels - 6 green, 8 blue, 16 red and 6 black - comfortable for experienced skiers, beginners and children. Among the independent ski resorts are Rosa-Khutor, Alpika-Service, Gorki Gorod and the GTZ Gazprom. Skiing during the day, discos, karaoke in the evening, pleasant evenings in cafes, restaurants, casinos. There will be enough places for everyone - hotels, guest houses, you can rent a cottage. There are no problems with transport. Adler is forty kilometers away. You can fly there by direct flights from many regions of Russia. And then rail transport with the famous "Swallows", or regular buses, even faster personal cars. The road will not seem tedious to you. Especially with such fantastic natural beauties! By the way, in Krasnaya Polyana there are enough bases for renting skis, snowboards, sleds and so on.

Arriving in Sochi for rest and treatment (it receives more than five million tourists a year, not including those who prefer snow slopes that operate from November to April inclusive, and sometimes taking the beginning of May), be sure to visit the Olympic Park. It is located near the Black Sea. With the stadium "Fisht" and other sports facilities built for the White Olympics. All of them have unique architecture. The Ice Palace resembles the Beijing Opera - in the form of an icy drop. And the Olympic cauldron! She looks like the Firebird from a Russian folk tale. In the Olympic Park there is a Formula 1 track, and the competition for pilots leaves no one indifferent. Fans come from all parts of the world and remain in great delight. The park has its own "Disneyland" with dozens of rides. Souvenirs, including the mascots of the Games, can be bought as a keepsake in local places. Just keep in mind - you can't get around the park in one day. It covers an area of ​​almost two hundred hectares. In the Imeretinskaya lowland. Do not go around it in a day and on electric cars: there are so many sights in it. Natural beauty of Tuapse

The famous resort town is located between Gelendzhik and Sochi. It is 117 kilometers away from the southern capital of Russia - less than two hours away. From Gelendzhik - 129 kilometers, a little over two hours drive. The mountains that protect the resort from the evil northern winds are on average 1352 to 1453 meters high above sea level. But there are exceptions - the top of Chessy ascended to the sky at 1839 meters. Among the attractions are Mount Semiglavaya, the Wolf Gorge, the rock of Alexander Kiselev, protruding into the sea and named after the artist. In the city itself - subtropical plants. In the foothills, both locals and tourists are happy to collect European blackberries. In the resort area there are sanatoriums, boarding houses, children's health camps. Both cargo and passenger ships moor in the seaport. You can rent a yacht, go to the open sea on it, go fishing, swim in the clearest water or sunbathe on the deck. Tourists love to arrange picnics during boat trips.

Republic of Adygea

It is part of the Southern Federal District with the capital Maykop, with a population of half a million. Part of the North Caucasian economic region. It is surrounded on all sides by the Krasnodar Territory. There are forty-five auls in the republic, there are villages, villages, farms. From the streets of Maykop, the Main Caucasian Range is clearly visible. Sights - Lago-Naki plateau, popular with tourists. Ten waterfalls Rufabgo - each with its own name. Rivers Kuban, Belaya, Laba. The Belaya River is 260 kilometers long. And it is fed by mountain streams and springs of Fisht, Oshten and Abago. The granite canyon is four kilometers long and two hundred meters deep. Sahrai waterfalls. Mountain lake Pseudonakh. Often visited by tourists are the Devil's Finger rock, Monk, Big Weaver, Trident, Camel, Una-Koz ridge. The mountains are quite high, we recall that the top of Fisht ascended to 2868 meters above sea level. It was her name that was given to the stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games in 2014 were held, so striking with their colorfulness and originality inherent in the Russian mentality.

Dagestan - a country of mountains

There is also a popular saying about this. It is especially often used in speeches on December 11, when the whole world celebrates International Mountain Day. And the highest of the peaks of the Great Caucasus here - Shalbuzdag - 4150 meters above sea level. In July and August, there is a real pilgrimage to her: here is the grave of the righteous Suleiman. The mountain resembles a pyramid with a jagged top. There is a belief that if you climb it, all desires and dreams will come true. And thousands of tourists are trying to do it. But the capital of Dagestan, Makhachkala, stretches directly along the Tarki-Tau mountain - a unique natural monument from a mountain monolith. It is also well known because in 1722 the army of Peter the Great entered Tarki. The peak of the Great Caucasus under the name of Bazarduzu is considered the southernmost point of Russia. She ascended to a height of 4466 meters above sea level. The first ascent to it was made in 1935.

You can talk about the mountains of Dagestan for a long time. But it has another unique attraction - just fifteen kilometers from Makhachkala, its capital, the gray-haired Caspian splashes - the largest closed reservoir on Earth, the largest drainless lake on the planet at the junction of Europe and Asia. Its area is 371 thousand square kilometers. The depth is more than a kilometer. It is home to more than 140 species of fish, of which the most famous is the beluga, which, if you meet, will get scared: is it really a shark?! There are sturgeons that produce black caviar and species such as bream, asp, bleak, river eel, spike, burbot - you can’t list them all! The great Russian river Volga, 3530 kilometers long, flows into the Caspian Sea (lake), off the coast of which a 300,000-strong Nazi army led by Field Marshal Paulus was taken prisoner near Stalingrad. Every year, thousands and thousands of tourists, both our compatriots and foreigners, come to rest to the Caspian Sea. In particular, there are sanatoriums, boarding houses, and children's health camps near Makhachkala. True, the shores of the Caspian have not yet been very well developed, but a course has been taken to create another popular resort area here. And what? White fine sand, clear water - sunbathe, swim, catch a fish, cook fragrant fish soup from it on the shore!

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The Caucasus Mountains are a mountain system between the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas. The etymology of the name has not been established.

It is divided into two mountain systems: the Greater Caucasus and the Lesser Caucasus.

The Caucasus is often divided into the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia, the border between which is drawn along the Main, or Watershed, ridge of the Greater Caucasus, which occupies a central position in the mountain system.

The Greater Caucasus stretches for more than 1100 km from the northwest to the southeast, from the Anapa region and the Taman Peninsula to the Absheron Peninsula on the Caspian coast, near Baku. The Greater Caucasus reaches its maximum width in the region of the Elbrus meridian (up to 180 km). In the axial part is located the Main Caucasian (or Dividing) Range, to the north of which a number of parallel ridges (mountain ranges) extend, including a monoclinal (kuest) character (see Greater Caucasus). The southern slope of the Greater Caucasus mostly consists of echelon-shaped ridges adjacent to the Main Caucasian ridge. Traditionally, the Greater Caucasus is divided into 3 parts: the Western Caucasus (from the Black Sea to Elbrus), the Central Caucasus (from Elbrus to Kazbek) and the Eastern Caucasus (from Kazbek to the Caspian Sea).

Countries and Regions

1. South Ossetia
2. Abkhazia
3. Russia:

• Adygea
• Dagestan
• Ingushetia
• Kabardino-Balkaria
• Karachay-Cherkessia
• Krasnodar region
• North Ossetia Alania
• Stavropol region
• Chechnya

Cities of the Caucasus

• Adygeysk
• Alagir
• Argun
• Baksan
• Buynaksk
• Vladikavkaz
• Gagra
• Gelendzhik
• Grozny
• Gudauta
• Gudermes
• Dagestan lights
• Derbent
• Dusheti
• Essentuki
• Zheleznovodsk
• Zugdidi
• Izberbash
• Karabulak
• Karachaevsk
• Kaspiysk
• Kvaisa
• Kizilyurt
• Kizlyar
• Kislovodsk
• Kutaisi
• Leningor
• Magas
• Maykop
• Malgobek
• Makhachkala
• Mineral water
• Nazran
• Nalchik
• Nartkala
• Nevinnomyssk
• Novorossiysk
• Ochamchira
• Chill
• Pyatigorsk
• Stavropol
• Stepanakert
• Sukhum
• Urus-Martan
• Tbilisi
• Terek
• Tuapse
• Tyrnyauz
• Khasavyurt
• Tkuarchal
• Tskhinvali
• Cherkessk
• Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk

Climate

The climate in the Caucasus varies both vertically (altitude) and horizontally (latitude and location). The temperature usually decreases with elevation. The average annual temperature in Sukhum, Abkhazia at sea level is 15 degrees Celsius, and on the slopes of the mountains. Kazbek at an altitude of 3700 m, the average annual air temperature drops to -6.1 degrees Celsius. On the northern slope of the Greater Caucasus Range it is 3 degrees Celsius colder than on the southern slopes. In the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, a sharp temperature contrast between summer and winter is noted due to a more continental climate.

Precipitation increases from east to west in most areas. Altitude plays an important role: the Caucasus and the mountains usually receive more precipitation than the lowlands. The northeastern regions (Dagestan) and the southern part of the Lesser Caucasus are dry. The absolute minimum of annual precipitation is 250 mm in the northeastern part of the Caspian lowland. The western part of the Caucasus is characterized by high rainfall. There is more precipitation on the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus Range than on the northern slopes. Annual precipitation in the western part of the Caucasus ranges from 1000 to 4000 mm, while in the Eastern and North Caucasus (Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Ossetia, Kakheti, Kartli, etc.) the amount of precipitation ranges from 600 to 1800 mm . The absolute maximum of annual precipitation is 4100 mm in the region of Meskheti and Adjara. The level of precipitation in the Lesser Caucasus (southern Georgia, Armenia, western Azerbaijan), not including Meskhetia, varies from 300 to 800 mm per year.

The Caucasus is known for a high amount of snowfall, although many regions that are not located along slopes to windward do not receive much snow. This is especially true for the Lesser Caucasus, which is to some extent isolated from the influence of humidity coming from the Black Sea and receives much less precipitation (in the form of snow) than in the mountains of the Greater Caucasus. On average, in winter, snow cover in the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus ranges from 10 to 30 cm. Heavy snowfalls are noted in the mountains of the Greater Caucasus (in particular, on the southwestern slope). Avalanches are a frequent occurrence from November to April.

Snow cover in some regions (Svaneti, in the northern part of Abkhazia) can reach 5 meters. The Achishkho region is the snowiest place in the Caucasus, the snow cover of which reaches a depth of 7 meters.

Landscape

The Caucasus Mountains have a varied landscape that mostly varies vertically and depends on distance from large bodies of water. The region contains biomes ranging from subtropical low-level swamps and glacier forests (Western and Central Caucasus) to high mountain semi-deserts, steppes and alpine grasslands in the south (mainly Armenia and Azerbaijan).

Oak, hornbeam, maple and ash are common on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus at lower altitudes, while birch and pine forests predominate on the higher elevations. Some of the lowest areas and slopes are covered with steppes and meadows.

On the slopes of the Northwestern Greater Caucasus (Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, etc.) they also contain spruce and fir forests. In the highland zone (about 2000 meters above sea level), forests predominate. Permafrost (glacier) usually starts at about 2800-3000 meters.

On the southeastern slope of the Greater Caucasus, beech, oak, maple, hornbeam and ash are common. Beech forests tend to dominate at higher altitudes.

On the southwestern slope of the Greater Caucasus, oak, beech, chestnut, hornbeam and elm are common at lower altitudes, coniferous and mixed forests (spruce, fir and beech) at higher altitudes. Permafrost begins at an altitude of 3000-3500 m.

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The Main Caucasian (Dividing) Range is a continuous mountain range stretching for more than 1,100 km from the northwest to the southeast from the Black Sea (Anapa region) to the Caspian Sea (Mount Ilkhydag northwest of Baku). The Caucasian Range divides the Caucasus into two parts: Ciscaucasia (Northern Caucasus) and Transcaucasia (South Caucasus).

The Main Caucasian Range separates the basins of the Kuban, Terek, Sulak and Samur rivers in the north and the Inguri, Rioni and Kura rivers in the south.

The mountain system, which includes the Main Caucasian Range, is called the Greater Caucasus (or the Greater Caucasian Range), in contrast to the Lesser Caucasus, a vast highland located south of the Rioni and Kura valleys and directly connected with the uplands of Western Asia.

For a more convenient view, the Caucasus Range can be divided along the length from west to east into seven parts:

Black Sea Caucasus (from the meridian of Anapa to the Fisht-Oshten mountain group - approx. 265 km),

Kuban Caucasus (from Oshten to the source of the Kuban) - 160 km,

Elbrus Caucasus, or western (Karachai-Circassian) Elbrus region (from the source of the Kuban to the top of Adai-Khokh) - 170 km,

Tersky (Kazbek) Caucasus (from Adai-Khokh to the city of Barbalo) - 125 km,

Dagestan Caucasus (from Barbalo to the top of Sari-Dag) - 130 km,

Samur Caucasus (from Sari-Dag to the city of Baba-Dag) - approx. 130 km,

Caspian Caucasus (from Baba-Dag to the top of Ilkhydag) - approx. 170 km.

A more enlarged division is also adopted:

Western Caucasus (limited from the east by Elbrus);

Central Caucasus;

Eastern Caucasus (limited from the west by Kazbek).

The entire system of the Main Caucasian Range occupies approximately 2,600 km². The northern slope covers about 1450 km², and the southern one - about 1150 km².

The width of the Caucasus Range in the western (somewhat west of Elbrus, and including the Elbrus mountain range) and eastern (Dagestan) parts is about 160 ... 180 km, in the central - about 100 km; both extremities are strongly narrowed and represent (especially the western) an insignificant width.

The highest is the middle part of the ridge, between Elbrus and Kazbek (average heights are about 3,400 - 3,500 m above sea level); its highest peaks are concentrated here, the highest of which - Elbrus - reaches a height of 5,642 m above sea level. m.; east of Kazbek and west of Elbrus, the ridge drops, and more significantly in the second direction than in the first.

In general, in height, the Caucasian Range significantly exceeds the Alps; it has no less than 15 peaks exceeding 5,000 m, and more than 20 peaks above Mont Blanc, the highest peak in all of Western Europe. The advanced heights accompanying the Main Range, in most cases, do not have the character of continuous chains, but are short ridges or mountain groups connected with the watershed ridge by spurs and cut through in many places by deep gorges of rivers, which, starting in the Main Range and breaking through the advanced heights, descend to the foothills and out onto the plains.

Mount Elbrus from the air - the roof of Europe

Thus, almost along its entire length (in the west - from the south, in the east - from the north), a series of high basins adjoins the watershed ridge, in most cases of lacustrine origin, closed on the one hand by the heights of the watershed, as well as its spurs, and on the other - separate groups and short ridges of advanced hills, which in some places surpass the main chain in height.

On the north side of the watershed, transverse basins predominate, and on the south, except for its western extremity, longitudinal ones. It is also characteristic of the Caucasus Range that many of the primary peaks do not lie on the Dividing Ridge, but on the extremities of its short spurs heading north (such is the position of the peaks of Elbrus, Koshtan, Adai-khokh, etc.). This is the so-called Lateral Caucasian Range, which stretches in the vast majority of cases (in many places) even below the Rocky.

Northern slope of the Caucasus Range

The northern, more developed slope of the Caucasus Range, formed by many spurs, adjoining in general almost perpendicular to the Main Range and separated by transverse deep valleys, reaches a very significant development in the vicinity of Elbrus (Elbrus ledge). The most significant uplift [the Elbrus-Mineralnye Vody fault zone] goes straight north from this peak, serves as a watershed between the waters of the Kuban (Azov) and the Terek (Caspian Sea) and, descending further in ledges, spreads into the island mountains of Pyatigorye and the vast Stavropol Upland (the main uplift reaches the Pasture Ridge, bordering the horseshoe Kislovodsk basin, turns south (Kislovodsk) to the east, along with gorges and river valleys stretches to the Terek-Sunzhensky interfluve - forming the Terek-Sunzhenskaya upland, and further - up to the Andisky ridge).

The northern slope is even more developed in the eastern part of the Caucasus Range, where numerous, and very significant in height and length, its spurs form the vast mountainous country of Dagestan (Dagestan ledge) - a large mountainous region enclosed by the high Andean, Sala-Tau and Gimrynsky (2334 m ) ridges. Gradually lowering to the north, the northern slope is formed by many advanced hills, which in places are in the form of ridges and mountain spurs; such mountain ranges include the so-called Black Mountains (see) (Pasture Range), located to the north of the Main Range, at a distance of 65 km from it. The Black Mountains form gentle and long slopes, in most areas covered with dense forests (hence the name), and fall in steep cliffs to the south. The rivers flowing from the Main Range break through the Black Mountains along deep and narrow, very picturesque gorges (Sulak Canyon up to 1800 m deep); the height of this forward chain, in general, is insignificant, although (in the west of the Dagestan ledge) in the upper reaches of the Ardon and Urukh, some of their peaks reach a height of more than 3,300 m above sea level (Kion-hokh - 3,423 m, Kargu-Khokh - 3 350 m, Vaza-Khokh - 3,529 m (Skalisty and Side Ridge)).

view of the Caucasus Range from the Rosa Khutor base

The southern slope is especially poorly developed in the western and eastern parts of the ridge, reaching a rather significant orographic development in the middle, where it is adjoined by parallel elevations that form longitudinal valleys of the upper reaches of the Rioni, Inguri and Tskhenis-tskhali, and long spurs extend to the south, separating the Alazani basins. , Iori and Kura.

The steepest and least developed section of the southern slope is where it falls to the Alazani valley; The city of Zagatala, located at an altitude of 355 m at the southern foot of the Caucasus Range, is only 20 km away in a straight line from its crest, which here reaches a height of more than 3,300 m above sea level. The Caucasian ridge is not distinguished by cross-country ability; only on its western and eastern extremities are there convenient and low passes, quite accessible all year round for communication.

Throughout the rest of the length, with the exception of the Mamison and Cross Passes (see Georgian Military Road), the paths through the ridge in most cases represent pack or even hiking paths, partly completely inaccessible for use in the winter season. Of all the passes, the most important is Krestovy (2,379 m), through which the Georgian Military Highway passes.

Central Caucasus

Glaciers of the Caucasus

In terms of the number of glaciers, their area and size, the Caucasus Range is almost as good as the Alps. The largest number of significant glaciers is located in the Elbrus and Terek parts of the ridge, and there are about 183 glaciers of the first category in the basins of the Kuban, Terek, Liakhva, Rioni and Inguri, and 679 of the second category. In total, in the Greater Caucasus, according to the Catalog of Glaciers of the USSR (1967 —1978), 2,050 glaciers with a total area of ​​1,424 km². The size of the Caucasian glaciers is very diverse, and some of them (for example, Bezengi) are almost as large as the Aletsch glacier in the Alps. The Caucasian glaciers nowhere descend as low as, for example, the glaciers of the Alps, and in this respect are of great variety; so the Karaugom glacier ends down to a height of 1,830 m above sea level, and the Shah-Daga glacier (ShahDag city (4243 m), in the BazarDyuzu region) - to a height of 3,320 m above sea level. The most famous glaciers of the Caucasus Range are:

Mount Fisht, Caucasus

Name of the glacier (Mountain from which it descends)

Bezengi (bass. Cherek Bezengi) Shota Rustaveli Peak, Shkhara

Dykh-Su [Dykh-Kotyu-BugoySu]

Karaugom (Uruh, bass. Terek) Adai-hoh

Tsaneri [Tsanner] (bass. Inguri) Tetnuld

Devdoraki (bass. Amali) Kazbek

Big Azau (Baksan, Terek basin) Elbrus, southern shoulder

Snow Valley Jikiugankez

Malka and Baksan Elbrus, eastern shoulder

Tsei (Ardon, bass Terek)

Lekhzyr [Lekzyr, Lekziri] (bass. Inguri)

Ezengi (Yusengi)

Donguzorun-Cheget-Karabashi (west), Yusengi ridge (east)

Shkheldy glacier (Adylsu, bass. Baksan)

Shkhelda (4368 m),

Chatyntau (4411 m)

panorama of the Caucasian ridge

During the Ice Age, the glaciers of the Caucasus Range were much more numerous and extensive than they are today; from the numerous traces of their existence, found far from modern glaciers, it can be concluded that ancient glaciers extended in length for 53, 64 and even up to 106.7 or more kilometers, descending into valleys to heights of 244 ... 274 meters above sea level. Currently, most of the glaciers of the Caucasus Range are in a period of retreat, which has been lasting for several decades.

Main Caucasian Range - Abkhazia

MAJOR PEAKS AND GLACIERS OF THE CAUCASIAN RIDGE

Bezengi is a mountainous region of Kabardino-Balkaria, the central, highest part of the Caucasus Mountains, including the Bezengi wall of the main Caucasian ridge and the lateral ridges adjacent from the north, forming the basin of the Cherek Bezengi river.

Bezengi wall

The Bezengi wall is a 42-kilometer mountain range, the highest section of the main Caucasian ridge. Usually, the peaks of Lyalver (in the west) and Shkhara (in the east) are considered the boundaries of the wall.

To the north, the wall abruptly breaks up to 3000 m to the Bezengi glacier (Ullu-Chiran). To the south, towards Georgia, the relief is complex, there are both wall sections and high-altitude glacial plateaus.

Peaks of the area

Bezengi wall

Lalver (4350)

Yesenin Peak (4310)

Gestola (4860)

Katyntau (4974)

Dzhangitau (5085)

Sh. Rustaveli Peak (4960)

Shkhara (5068)

Mount Dykhtau, Side Ridge

side ridge

Koshtantau (5152)

Krumkol (4676)

Tikhonov Peak (4670)

Mijirgi (5025)

Pushkin Peak (5033)

Dykhtau (5204)

warm corner

Gidan (4167)

Archimedes Peak (4100)

Georgia, Trinity Monastery near Mount Kazbek

Salynan-bashi (4348)

Ortokara (4250)

Peak Ryazan

Peak Brno (4100)

Misses tau (4427)

Peak Cadets (3850)

Mount Shkhara

THE HIGHEST PEAK OF GEORGIA

Shkhara (Georgian შხარა) is a mountain peak in the central part of the Main Caucasian (Dividing) Range, the highest point in Georgia. Altitude 5,068 m above sea level, some sources give an estimate of 5,201 m. Located in Svaneti from the south and Bezengi in Kabardino-Balkaria from the north, on the border with Russia, about 90 km north of the city of Kutaisi. It is part of a unique 12-kilometer mountain range known as the Bezengi Wall.

Composed of granites and crystalline schists. The slopes are covered with glaciers, on the northern slope - the Bezengi glacier, on the southern slope - the Shkhara glacier, from which the Inguri River partially originates. Popular climbing site. Soviet climbers first climbed Shkhara in 1933.

At the foot of the southern slopes of Shkhara, at an altitude of 2,200 m above sea level, there is the village of Ushguli in the Mestia region of Svaneti, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

MOUNT TETNULD Main Caucasian Range

Tetnuld (Georgian თეთნულდი "white mountain") is a peak in the spur of the Bezengi Wall, the Main Caucasian Range in the region of Upper Svaneti, Georgia, 2 km south of the peak of Gestola and the border of the Russian Federation (Kabardino-Balkaria).

Height - 4 869 m.

The peak is two-headed, composed of ancient crystalline rocks. The glaciers Oish, Nageb, (sources of the Inguri), Adish and others flow down from Tetnuld. The total area of ​​glaciers is 46 km².

22 km west of the summit is the regional center of Mestia.

Mount Gestola

Tsey Glacier

Tsey glacier (Ossetian Ts'yy ts'iti) is a valley glacier on the northern slope of the Greater Caucasus, one of the largest and lowest descending glaciers of the Caucasus.

The Tsey glacier is located in North Ossetia and is fed mainly by the snows of Mount Adai-Khokh (4,408 m). The Tseisky glacier descends to a height of 2,200 m above sea level, that is, below the vast majority of the glaciers of the Caucasus. Its length, together with the firn fields, is about 9 km, the area is 9.7 km². At the very bottom, it is rather narrow, and above it expands greatly, reaching 1 km in width. Cramped by rocks at an altitude of 2,500 m above sea level, it forms innumerable cracks and has several icefalls, but higher its surface becomes more even again.

The Tseisky glacier is formed from 2 large and 2 smaller branches. From the ice arch of the Tsey glacier flows the beautiful river Tsey (Tseydon), which flows from west to east along a deep picturesque gorge covered with pine forests. It flows into Ardon from the left side.

Near the Tseisky glacier there are climbing camps and the Ossetia tourist center, as well as the Goryanka hotel, the SKGMI scientific station and the weather station. Two cable cars are laid to the glacier. Mountain-climatic resort area - Tsey.

Many poems are devoted to the Tsey glacier and the gorge, both by eminent authors (for example, “Tseyskaya” by Yuri Vizbor) and folk:

What a beautiful camp Tsey, /

I have many friends here. /

And the mountains are nearby - I won't hide it. /

As soon as you go beyond the threshold, /

Before the eyes of Adai-Khokh, /

And a gray lump of "Monk" over his head ...

Mount Adai-Khokh

Friend, thank you for the cup,

I hold the sky in my hand

Mountain air of the state

I drink on the Tsey glacier.

Nature itself is here

A clear trace of bygone times -

nineteenth year

Purifying ozone.

And down from Sadon's pipes

Gray smoke stretches

To me during it

This cold did not carry away.

There, under the roofs, like a grid,

The rain breathes and trembles

And on a string a trolley

Runs like a black bead.

I am present at the meeting

Two times and two heights

And prickly snow on the shoulders

Old Tsey puts me.

Moscow, 1983. Arseny Tarkovsky

Mount Monk

MOUNTAIN Donguzorun-Cheget

Donguzorun-Cheget-Karabashi or Donguz-Orun is the peak of the Main (or Dividing Range) of the Greater Caucasus, in the Elbrus region. It is located in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria of the Russian Federation. Height - 4454 m.

Nearby, at an altitude of 3203 m, there is the Donguzorun mountain pass through the Main Range between the valleys of the Baksan (Russia) and Inguri (Georgia) rivers. At the foot of the Donguzorun-Cheget-Karabashi flows one of the tributaries of the Baksan - the Donguz-Orun River.

MOUNT ACHISHO

Achishkho (Adyghe goat mountain: Achi - "goat", shkho - "height", "top".) (Nedezhui-Kushkh) - a mountain range in the Western Caucasus, located on the territory of the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation. Altitude up to 2391 m (Mount Achishkho, 10 km north-west of Krasnaya Polyana).

The ridge is composed of shales and volcanic (tuffaceous) rocks. The landscapes of the Achishkho Ridge are characterized by ancient glacial landforms and ridge lakes (including karst ones), and there are waterfalls.

The ridge is located in a zone of humid climate - the annual precipitation is up to 3000 mm (the highest value in Russia), the thickness of the snow cover reaches 10 m. The number of sunny days does not exceed 60-70 days a year.

The slopes of Achishkho are covered with broad-leaved, mostly beech, fir forests in the north, and mountain meadows on the peaks.

The ridge is popular with hikers. There are dolmens.

Caucasian State Natural

biosphere reserve

The reserve is the successor of the Caucasian bison reserve, established on May 12, 1924, located in the Western Caucasus, on the border of the temperate and subtropical climatic zones. The total area of ​​the reserve is more than 280 thousand hectares, of which 177.3 thousand hectares are in the Krasnodar Territory.

On February 19, 1979, by decision of UNESCO, the Caucasus Reserve was given the status of a biosphere reserve, and in January 2008 it was named after Kh. G. Shaposhnikov. In 1999, the territory of the Caucasian State Natural Biosphere Reserve was included in the World Heritage List

Kuban hunting

In 1888, on behalf of the Grand Dukes Peter Nikolayevich and Georgy Mikhailovich, about 80 thousand acres of land in the Greater Caucasus Range were leased from the forest dachas of the Ministry of State Property and the Kuban Regional Military Administration. An agreement was concluded with the Kuban Rada on the exclusive right to hunt in these territories for the Grand Dukes. Later, the territories became known as the Great Kuban Hunting.

A few years later, the princes stopped traveling to the Kuban for health reasons, and then in 1892 they transferred the right to hunt to Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, who took up active development of the territory.

bison reserve

In 1906, the ending lease on the territory of the Kuban hunting was extended for another three years, after which these lands were planned to be divided between the villages of the Kuban Cossacks. In 1909, Kh. G. Shaposhnikov, who worked as a forester of the Belorechensk forestry of the Kuban Army, sent a letter to the Russian Academy of Sciences with the rationale for the need to reserve the territory rented from the Kuban Army. The main reason for the creation of the reserve was the protection of the endangered Caucasian bison. The letter also outlined the boundaries of the reserve. Based on this letter, Academician H. Nasonov made a report, and the Academy of Sciences created a commission. As a military forester, Shaposhnikov participated in her work on the organization of the reserve. However, for a number of reasons related to the division of land by the Kuban Cossacks, things did not progress significantly.

Repeated attempts to create a reserve were made in 1913 and 1916. Finally, in 1919, a positive decision was made.

With the establishment of Soviet power in the region, the issue of the reserve had to be decided anew. Only in May 1924, the state Caucasian bison reserve was established.

Cross Pass - the highest point of the Georgian military road

DEFENSE OF THE CAUCASIAN RIDGE

Fighting on the passes.

In mid-August 1942, the 1st and 4th divisions of the 49th German Mountain Rifle Corps, concentrated in the area of ​​​​Nevinnomyssk and Cherkessk, began to move freely towards the passes of the Main Caucasian Range, since there were no our troops in this direction, and 46 The 1st army, which was instructed to organize the defense, did not even have time to approach the southern slopes of the passes. There were no engineering structures on the passes.

By August 14, the 1st German mountain rifle division reached the Verkhnyaya Teberda, Zelenchukskaya, Storozhevaya area, and the 4th German mountain rifle division went to the Akhmetovskaya area. Strong groups of specially trained enemy climbers, who had experienced guides, preempted our units and, in the period from August 17 to October 9, occupied all the passes in the area from Mount Elbrus to the Umpyrsky Pass. On the Klukhor and Sanchar directions, the Nazis, having overcome the Main Caucasian Range, reached its southern slopes, advancing 10-25 km. There was a threat of the capture of Sukhumi and disruption of supply along the communications that ran along the Black Sea coast.

On August 20, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command demanded from the commander of the Transcaucasian Front, along with the creation of a strong defense in the main operational areas, the immediate strengthening of the defense of the Main Caucasian Range, especially the Georgian Military, Military Ossetian and Military Sukhumi roads. The Headquarters ordered to blow up and fill up all the passes and paths, mountain passes, on which no defensive structures were created, and to prepare the areas defended by the troops for an explosion in case of withdrawal. It was proposed to appoint commandants on all roads and directions, placing on them full responsibility for the defense and condition of the roads.

Fulfilling the instructions of the Headquarters, the command of the Transcaucasian Front began to deploy forces in order to stop the offensive of the Nazi troops on the passes of the Main Caucasian Range.

On the Elbrus direction, units of the 1st German mountain rifle division, taking advantage of the absence of our troops, on August 18 occupied the Hotyu-Tau and Chiper-Azau passes, the Krugozor and Shelter Eleven tourist bases on the southern slopes of Mount Elbrus. Units of the 8th Motorized Regiment of the NKVD and the 63rd Cavalry Division that approached here pushed the enemy back from these passes to the Shelter of Eleven, where he was held until January 1943.

The Klukhorsky pass was covered by a company of the 815th regiment. On August 15, the enemy sent a regiment here. Unable to withstand a strong blow, the defenders of the pass began to retreat to the southern slopes, where there were two more companies. The fighting was fierce. Having learned about them on August 17, the command of the 46th Army sent two battalions and an NKVD detachment to help the units of the 816th regiment, which, approaching the battle area on August 22, stopped the further advance of the Nazis. On September 8, enemy units were driven back to the Klukhor Pass, where they remained until January 1943.

On September 5, the enemy regiment, after a concentrated bombing strike by aviation and a fire raid by artillery and mortars, launched an attack on the Marukh Pass, which was defended by two battalions. After stubborn fighting, the defenders were forced to leave the pass on September 7th. The further advance of the Germans here was stopped by the approaching reinforcements, but it was not possible to throw them off the pass until January 1943. The Sanchar Pass was defended by one company and a combined detachment of the NKVD. On August 25, the fascist German command moved a regiment against them. The Nazis managed to knock out our units from the pass and almost unhindered to reach the area, which is 25 km from Gudauta and Sukhumi. The urgently created Sancharskaya group of troops was sent to meet the enemy, consisting of one rifle regiment, two rifle battalions, two regiments of the NKVD and a detachment of cadets of the 1st Tbilisi Infantry School. On August 29, the group came into contact with the German units, stopped them, and on August 6, with the support of aviation, went on the offensive.

Two days later, she captured the village of Pskhu, which served as the enemy's main base on the southern slopes of the Main Caucasian Range. Now the Nazis did not have a single settlement left in this area. By October 20, our troops in the Sanchar direction, with the support of the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet, threw them back to the northern slopes of the Main Caucasian Range.

The role of the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet in defeating the enemy grouping in the Sanchar direction is enormous. Aircraft DB-3, SB, Pe-2 and R-10, based at the airfields of Gudauta and Babusheri at a distance of 25-35 km from the front line, daily made 6-10 sorties to deliver bombing strikes against enemy troops, and on days of intense fighting - up to 40 sorties. In total, in September 1942, the aviation of the Black Sea Fleet dropped about a thousand FAB-100s on the Sancharsky and Marukhsky passes.

Thus, our troops, having almost no artillery and mortars, received the greatest and only support from naval aviation.

The fascist German command also tried to seize the Umpyrsky and Belorechensky passes. On the Umpyrsky Pass, which was defended by two companies, the Nazis on August 28 threw two reinforced battalions. However, thanks to a well-organized defense, the courageous actions of the Soviet soldiers, numerous enemy attacks were repulsed. The Belorechensky Pass was stormed by an infantry regiment and several squadrons of enemy cavalry supported by artillery. By the energetic actions of our forces and the approaching reserves, the enemy was stopped, and then thrown back far to the north.

So, by the actions of units of the 46th Army and aviation of the Black Sea Fleet, the offensive of the 49th German Mountain Rifle Corps, specially prepared for combat operations in the mountains, was thwarted. By the end of October 1942, a stable defense of the Main Caucasian Range was created.

Antiamphibious defense of the Poti naval base. In July - December, the defense of the Black Sea coast from the Soviet-Turkish border to Lazarevskaya was carried out by the forces of the Poti naval base together with the 46th Army of the Transcaucasian Front. In the second half of August, when the Nazi troops approached the passes of the Main Caucasian Range, the 46th Army was redirected to repulse this main danger, the defense of the coast became the sole task of the Poti naval base.

The composition of the base forces changed with the situation. The enemy stepped up reconnaissance of the main base of the fleet and began to bombard the base and ships. By the end of December, the air defense base area was replenished with a regiment and thus included three anti-aircraft regiments and a separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion. The infantry units of the base also increased by one battalion and two platoons of marines. But these forces were clearly not enough to organize a reliable defense of the coast, so it was built on the principle of creating separate centers of resistance that covered the main directions. Between the nodes of resistance, blockages and notches were built, separate machine-gun points were installed, and anti-personnel minefields were set up.

The strongest defense from land was created in the area of ​​Poti and Batumi, where it was decided to equip four lines: forward, main, rear and internal. The forward line of defense was supposed to pass from the base at a distance of 35 - 45 km, the main line - at a distance of 25 - 30 km, the rear - at a distance of 10 - 20 km from Poti and Batumi, the internal - directly on the outskirts and deep in the gardens. For street fighting, it was planned to build barricades and anti-tank obstacles.

However, the planned engineering defenses were not built. Due to the lack of manpower, the forward and main lines of defense were not equipped at all, and on the rear line, by October 25, work was only 75% completed.

The entire defense area of ​​Poti from the land was divided into three sectors. The first sector was defended by a marine battalion with the support of eleven coastal artillery guns, the second sector - by the coastal defense school and the border detachment (343 people and seven guns), the third sector - by the personnel of the 1st brigade of torpedo boats and the border detachment (105 people and eight guns ). There were about 500 people in the reserve of the commander of the Poti naval base. In addition, all sectors were supported by naval artillery.

In order to better use forces in the defense of the coast, a manual was developed on the antiamphibious defense of the Poti naval base.

However, there were significant shortcomings in the organization of coastal defense. The engineering structures created at the beginning of 1942, due to the long time frame for their construction, fell into disrepair by 30-40% and required a solid repair. Coastal artillery was poorly prepared to repulse the enemy from land. Batteries No. 716 and 881 had no shrapnel shells at all. Over 50% of the personnel of the 164th separate artillery battalion did not have rifles.

There were major shortcomings in the organization of the air defense of the base, which were revealed during an enemy air raid on Poti on July 16. First of all, the monitoring and warning system was poorly developed. So, due to the location of patrol boats near the base, the command of the air defense base area was not able to detect the enemy in time and raise fighter aircraft, and some anti-aircraft batteries were not even notified of the approach of enemy aircraft.

However, despite all these shortcomings, the formations and units of the Poti naval base ensured a reliable basing of the fleet and created favorable conditions for the operations of units of the 46th Army on the passes of the Main Caucasian Range.

Conclusions on the actions of the Black Sea Fleet in the defense of bases and coasts

As a result of a five-month offensive in the second half of 1942, the Nazi troops achieved significant success. They captured the North Caucasus and the Taman Peninsula, reached the foothills of the Main Caucasian Range and the Terek River, and captured the passes. The enemy managed to occupy economically important areas and create a difficult situation for our troops in the Caucasus, but he was unable to overcome the defenses of our troops and achieve strategic success.

In the course of fierce defensive battles, Soviet troops and the Black Sea Fleet bled the enemy, stopped his advance in the foothills and at the turn of the Terek River, and thereby thwarted Hitler's plans to capture the entire Caucasus and the Soviet Black Sea Fleet.

The Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla, operationally subordinate to the command of the North Caucasian Front, and then the Transcaucasian Front, closely interacting with these fronts, provided them with great assistance in the defense and defeat of the Nazi troops in the Caucasus. The Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla reliably covered the coastal flank of our ground forces, organizing the antiamphibious defense of the Azov and Black Sea coasts, allocating for this purpose about 40 thousand people from the marine corps, coastal and anti-aircraft artillery units, 200 anti-aircraft guns, 150 coastal artillery guns, 250 warships, ships and watercraft and up to 250 aircraft.

Parts of the Marine Corps, Coastal Artillery and Aviation, operating on land, showed stamina, high moral and political spirit, mass heroism and an unbending will to defeat the enemy.

Although the antiamphibious defense of the coast by the Black Sea Fleet was organized in accordance with the situation and fully justified itself, it should be recognized that it was poorly saturated with rifle units, which gave the enemy the opportunity to land troops on the Taman Peninsula on September 2, 1942 and make an attempt to land on the night of October 30 landing on the eastern shore of the Tsemess Bay.

The experience of the defense of Novorossiysk and Tuapse showed that the delay in organizing forces for defense, the shallow depth of defense and the dispersal of forces led to significant losses in manpower and equipment and the loss of Novorossiysk, and the timely creation of the Tuapse defensive region made it possible to organize a deep, strong defense of the base from land and not allow the enemy to enter the defended area. The experience of base defense also showed that one of the main reasons for their rapid fall was the lack of reserves at the base command, which did not allow timely reflection of enemy attacks.

The experience of base defense confirmed the need to organize interaction and unite all forces under a single command. The best form of such an organization was a fully justified defensive area, divided into sectors and combat areas.

The heroic defense of the Caucasus was a good combat school for units of the Soviet Army and the Black Sea Fleet. In the course of it, they accumulated vast combat experience and mastered the tactics of operations in the mountains. The Soviet troops were re-equipped with light weapons, the infantry units were reinforced with engineering formations, the commanders mastered the art of command and control in difficult conditions, the rear organized the supply of troops in the mountains, using aviation and all types of transport, including pack.

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