Everything about The South Caucasus totally explained
The
South Caucasus is a mountainous, geopolitical area of south-central
Eurasia, also referred to as
Transcaucasia, or
The Transcaucasus. More specifically, the South Caucasus area spans the southern portion of the
Caucasus Mountains and its lowlands, lying between the two continents of
Europe and
Asia and extending from the southern part of the
Greater Caucasus Mountain range of southwestern
Russia and going southerly to the
Turkish and
Iranian borders, travelling between the
Black and
Caspian Seas. The area includes the southern part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain range, the entire Lesser Caucusus Mountain range, the
Colchis Lowlands and
Kura-Aras Lowlands, the
Talysh Mountains, the
Lenkoran Lowlands, and the
Javakheti-Armenian Uplands.
The Transcaucasus, or South Caucasus area, is a part of the entire
Caucasus geographical region that essentially divides the
Eurasian transcontinent into two.
All of
Armenia is in Transcaucasia; the majority of
Georgia and
Azerbaijan, including the exclave of
Naxçivan, fall within this area. The countries of the region are producers of
oil,
manganese ore,
tea,
citrus fruits, and
wine.
In Western languages, the terms
Transcaucasus and
Transcaucasia are translations of the
Russian zakavkazie meaning "the area beyond the Caucasus Mountains", for example, as seen from the Russian capital (analogous to the Roman terms Transalpine and Transpadania). The region remains one of the most complicated in the post-
Soviet area, and comprises three heavily disputed areas –
Abkhazia and
South Ossetia in
Georgia, and
Nagorno-Karabakh in
Azerbaijan.
History
Located on the peripheries of
Persia,
Turkey, and
Russia, the region has been an arena for political, military, religious, and cultural rivalries and expansionism for centuries. Throughout its history, the Caucasus was usually incorporated into the
Iranian world. At the beginning of the 19th century, the
Russian Empire conquered the territory from the
Qajars.
Ancient kingdoms of the region included
Armenia,
Albania, and
Iberia, among others. These kingdoms were later incorporated into various empires, including
Media,
Achaemenid Empire,
Parthian Empire, and
Sassanid Empire. By this time,
Zoroastrianism had become the dominant religion of the region; however, the region would go through two other religious transformations. Owing to the rivalry between Persia and
Rome, and later
Byzantium, the latter would invade the region several times, although never being able to hold it. However, because Armenia had become a Christian entity, Christianity began to overtake Zoroastrianism. With the
Islamic conquest of Persia, the region came under the rule of the
Arabs and Islam spread throughout the region. The region would later be conquered by the
Seljuks,
Mongols, local kingdoms and khanates, as well as, once again, Persia, until its conquest by Russia.
The region was unified as a single political entity twice – during the
Russian Civil War (
Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic) from
9 April 1918 to
26 May 1918, and under the
Soviet rule (
Transcaucasian SFSR) from
12 March 1922 to
5 December 1936.
The area of Transcaucasia, in particular where modern day Georgia and Armenia are located, is one of the native areas of the wine producing vines
vitis vinifera. Some experts speculate that this may be the birthplace of wine production. Archeological excavation and carbon dating of
grape pips from the area have dated back to 7000-5000BC.
Further Information
Get more info on 'South Caucasus'.
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