Mountains are a real source of natural wonders and beauties. They attracted artists, poets, tourists and scientists from all over the world. And the Caucasus Mountains, located on our and not only our territory, are especially beautiful. Snowy peaks are combined with picturesque slopes, forests and mountain rivers.
Caves, lakes, meadows and amazing animals make local residents admire the beauty of their native lands. The simplicity with which you can reach the foot of the mountains has been pleasing and beckoning climbers for decades.
Our today's list will reveal 10 interesting facts about the majestic Caucasus Mountains.
10. The deepest cave in the world is located
The Caucasus Mountains can surprise even the most spoiled tourist and geologist. Beautiful coniferous forests, mountain rivers with their crazy flow, real alpine meadows and peaks that scratch the sky.
There is another miracle that lurks in the very depths of the mountains - the deepest cave in the worldwhose depth is 2191 meters. This unique natural phenomenon is called. Krubera-Voronya.
The cave was discovered only in 1960 by a group of amateur tourists who dared to go down only to a depth of about a hundred meters. Only eight years later, the second descent into the cave took place, which reached already 210 meters. After this study, the cave was given a middle name - Siberian.
After a dozen years into the cave, to a depth of 340 meters, the Kiev cavers ventured to descend. They called her Crow, after which she began to be called by our familiar name.
Only in 2004, the cave was explored two kilometers inland. Krubera-Voronya is of karst origin, and the length of all its corridors is as much as 16 kilometers. Scientists claim that two-kilometer depth indicators are not the limit and soon we will hear about a new record of the deepest cave in the world.
9. The Caucasus Mountains are located in four countries
The length of the Caucasus Mountains is more than a thousand meters and exceeds the distance between Minsk and Moscow, and the width in some sections is 180 kilometers.
To better understand how large and massive the mountains are, it is worth saying that the territory of Tajikistan is slightly less than the area occupied by the mountains.
The ranges of the Caucasus stretched over vast territories and entire four countries can boast of having these mountains. These are Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.. In addition to them, a part of the Caucasus is owned by a country recognized not by all countries of the world - Abkhazia.
8. The highest point of the Caucasus mountain range - Elbrus
The mountains of the Caucasus are distinguished by their beauty and grandeur. They are very high, covered with glaciers, and their slopes span many rivers and adorn the forests.
The highest point of the Caucasus Mountains is Mount Elbrus. Reaching a height of 5,642 meters, Elbrus becomes a mecca for climbers from all over the world.
In addition to the highest point of the Caucasus Mountains, this giant is also the highest mountain in Russia and is included in the list of the highest mountains of six parts of the world.
Interesting fact: Elbrus is not just a mountain, but a real volcano that fell asleep many thousands of years ago.
A cap of 23 glaciers adorns this mountain, which has two peaks, differing in height by only some 20 meters.
7. All rivers flowing from the slopes of the mountains fall into the Black Sea
All rivers flowing down from the mountain peaks and slopes of the Caucasus, rush straight to the Black Sea. Due to the steep descent, their speed is so great that ice simply cannot form on them.
Rivers are fed by meltwater from glaciers and snow caps, and they are also saturated with heavy rainfall in some regions.
6. Coniferous forest predominates
Coniferous forest prevails in the Caucasus Mountains. These forests are very similar to the usual spruce forests. Trees perform many very important functions.
In addition to the well-known oxygen production, the powerful roots of conifers hold the soil with a firm grip, protecting the earth from landslides and landslides.
In the Caucasus, relict trees grow, such as huge pines, whose bark is red and black, and the age of pines reaches 500 years. Among this coniferous abundance there are evergreen shrubs, oaks and alpine meadows.
5. The total area of the glaciers of the Caucasus Mountains reaches 1400 km²
Glaciers are perennial accumulations of ice that appeared due to atmospheric processes. Glaciers store fresh drinking water that is valuable to humans, and their quantity is so huge that it occupies 11% of the entire earth's surface.
Almost all the mountains on earth are covered with glaciers, and the Caucasus Mountains are no exception. The total area of the Caucasus Mountains glaciers reaches 1400 square kilometers. On one giant, called Elbrus, there are 23 glaciers, whose total area is 134 square kilometers.
4. They have a significant impact on the climate of the European part of Russia.
The Caucasus Mountains cover two climatic zones - subtropical and temperate. Ranges play the role of a shield, protecting some regions from the penetration of cold winds and snow drifts into their territory, while helping others not to let out warm air.
The significance of this natural barrier is especially noticeable in the winter. The relief of the Caucasus Mountains also affects the frequency and amount of precipitation, increasing their precipitation when passing through the territory of the Caucasus.
3. Kefir was invented in the Caucasus
Many since childhood love milk, which nourishes the body with calcium, which is beneficial for bones and immunity. They have been drinking milk for thousands of years, starting with the mother, which a person first tastes right after birth.
It was impossible to establish who was the first person to try cow's milk, and it doesn’t matter. They make yoghurts, sweets, beloved by everyone, from milk.
Milk is an important ingredient for a large number of dishes, without which we can no longer imagine ourselves. A healthy drink called kefir is obtained from it.
A huge number of people drink and drink kefir not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. And they invented kefir in the Caucasus, at the foot of Mount Elbrus. Until now, the title of the discoverer of a special, kefir starter culture has been disputed by several peoples of the Caucasus.
2. More than 50 nationalities live here
Everyone knows that Russia is a very multinational country, on the territory of which there are a lot of people of various nationalities and nationalities. But the Caucasus Mountains stand apart in this regard.
On the territory of the mountains themselves and their environs, there are five dozen nationalities speaking 20 different languages.
1. A few centuries ago leopards were found
Leopard is a very large and rather dangerous cat that lives for almost twenty years and runs very fast. This feline species lives mainly in Africa and the southern part of East Asia.
Despite its wide habitat and formidable appearance, the leopard is listed in the Red Book as an animal that is dangerously close to extinction.
The area in which leopards are used to living and feeling like hosts is shrinking due to climate change and harmful human activities. This sad fact proves that just a couple of centuries ago, the leopard felt at home at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains.