Mountains of Azerbaijan

Mountains of Azerbaijan cover approximately 60 percent of the country's land area.[1][2] There are three mountain ranges in the territory of Azerbaijan, which are the Greater Caucasus, the Lesser Caucasus, and the Talysh Mountains.[3]

The elevation of the central mountains of these three mountain ranges is approximately 1000–2000 meters.[1] The height of high mountains of the Greater Caucasus is higher than 2200 meters and the Lesser Caucasus is higher than 2000 meters.[1]

Mountain ranges in Azerbaijan[1]
Mountain ranges Area coverage (%) Zones
Greater Caucasus 30 Foothill (lower than 500 meters)
Low mountains (500 – 1200 meters)
Middle mountain (1200 – 2200 meters)
High mountains (higher than 2200 meters)
Lesser Caucasus 22 Foothill (lower than 500 meters)
Low mountains (500 – 1200 meters)
Middle mountain (1200 – 2000 meters)
High mountains (higher than 2000 meters)
Talysh Mountains 6 Pre – mountain plains (lower than 600 meters)
Low mountains (600 – 1000 meters)
Middle mountain (1000 – 2500 meters)

The Greater Caucasus range forms the north-east borders of Azerbaijan with Dagestan Autonomous Republic of Russia.[4] Bazarduzu, Shahdagh, and Tufandag are the high peaks of the mountain range.[5] The highest peak of the Greater Caucasus is Mount Bazarduzu, which is situated 14,652 feet (4,466 meters) above the sea level, is also the highest point in Azerbaijan.[3][5] The mountains of the Greater Caucasus are located in the region of high degree of seismic activity.[5] The mountains are formed by rocks that date back to Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.[2]

The Lesser Caucasus is the second important mountain range in Azerbaijan and forms its south-western borders.[5] Mount Murovdag and Mount Zangezur are the main ridges of the Lesser Caucasus.[5] They are formed by sedimentary and volcanogenic rocks of Cretaceous and Jurassic periods.[2]

The Talysh Mountains cover the southeastern part of Azerbaijan and form part of its border with Iran.[4][5]

  1. ^ a b c d Price, Martin (2000). Cooperation in the European Mountains 2: The Caucasus. Switzerland: IUCN. ISBN 2831705347.
  2. ^ a b c "Azerbaijan". azerbaijan.az. Archived from the original on 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  3. ^ a b "Tallest Mountains in Azerbaijan". WorldAtlas. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  4. ^ a b Suny, Ronal (1996). Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. United States: DIANE Publishing. ISBN 0788128132.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Azerbaijan | History, People, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-08-27.