The Terek drains the northeast Caucasus into the Caspian Sea. The Malka is its northwest tributary and the Sunzha River is inside the great bend of the Terek.The Kuban drains the northwest Caucasus rivers into the Sea of Azov. The Laba is the fourth river from the left.
The North Caucasus Line (Russian: Кавказская линия) was a line of Russian forts and Cossack settlements along the north side of the Caucasus Mountains. Originating in the mid-16th century with a small number of free Cossacks near the Caspian Sea, from the mid-18th century the line was pushed west and used as a base to conquer the mountains to the south and to settle the steppes to the north.
