The vast space between the Black and Caspian Seas, from Taman to the Absheron peninsula are located the majestic mountains of the Greater Caucasus.

from the Russian Caucasus plains separated by Kuma-Manych depression, in the place where in the distant past there strait connecting the Black Sea and Caspian Sea basins. The structure consists of the Caucasus Caucasus, Greater Caucasus and the Transcaucasus. The highest part - the Greater Caucasus. Here are the highest peaks of Russia - the two-headed Elbrus and Kazbek. Go to Russia are only Ante and the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus.

Caucasus - a young mountain range, formed during the Alpine folding. Oscillations of the Earth's crust accompanied gibami terrestrial strata of sprains, fractures and breaks. By a crack from great depths to the surface magma poured out. The process of mountain building have not yet been completed. In the Caucasus there are many inactive volcanoes, but considering that they can not be extinct, are not uncommon in these parts, and earthquakes. Due to the volcanic activity in the Caucasus region formed many ore deposits. In the central part of the Greater Caucasus mined ores, tungsten, copper, mercury, molybdenum. In the Cis are large deposits of oil and gas. In the mountains and foothills of the North Caucasus opened a lot of mineral springs, near which were established resorts have received worldwide fame: Kislovodsk, Mineral Waters, Pyatigorsk, Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk, Matsesta. Sources vary in their chemical composition and temperature and their water helps in times of personal illness.

North Caucasus - a region located on the border of temperate and subtropical zones. Latitudinal zonation is replaced by a vertical zonation. By the nature of this area applies the epithet "the most-most».

Due to its geographical position the climate of the North Caucasus is soft and warm in the plains of summer lasts from 4 to 6 months, and winter lasts for two to three months, with the thermometer rarely falls below 10 degrees. The abundance of heat and light enables plants to grow in the next 8-10 months, so you can get two crops a year. In the mountains the climate very different: more rain falls, the air temperature decreases with altitude, and at an altitude of 3800 m is the border of eternal ice.

largest rivers of the Caucasus - Kuban, Terek, and Yegorlyk Kalaus - fed by water from melting snow and glaciers.

wealth of the Caucasus - in its fertile black earth and chestnut soils, which are used for orchards, berries, vines, citrus fruits, rice and tea plantations. In the mountains of the Greater Caucasus is clearly expressed in his wife high-altitude zone.The lower zone occupied by deciduous forests, are located above the thickets of beech, which with high first pass in the mixed, and then in the spruce-fir forests. This is followed by sub-alpine meadows with thickets of Caucasian rhododendron, changing nizkotravnymi alpine meadows. Lies above the zone of snowfields and glaciers. North Caucasus - the most cosmopolitan district of Russia. Before our era in its plains roamed the Scythians.

in the mountains lived many settled tribes. Here come the Greeks and the Huns, Mongols and Polovtsians, Circassians, and the Alans, Khazars and Meotians. Slavs first appeared here in the IX century BC Real Russian colonization began in the late XV century. Russia's progress to the south was a long and bloody. Only in the second half of the XIX century as a result of nearly 50 years of her Caucasian War, the North Caucasus was annexed to Russia. Historical grievances and contemporary contradicts the lead among nations and lead to conflict, so the North Caucasus remains a sore point on the map of Russia.