Caucasus

American  

[kaw-kuh-suhs] / ˈkɔ kə səs /

noun

1. Also called Caucasus Mountains.  the Caucasus. a mountain range in Caucasia, between the Black and Caspian seas, along the border between the Russian Federation, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Highest peak, Mt. Elbrus, 18,481 feet (5,633 meters).

2. Also Caucasia a region between the Black and Caspian seas: divided by the Caucasus Mountains into Ciscaucasia in Europe and Transcaucasia in Asia.

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Caucasus British  

/ ˈkɔːkəsəs /

noun

1. Also called: Caucasus Mountains.  a mountain range in SW Russia, running along the N borders of Georgia and Azerbaijan, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea: mostly over 2700 m (9000 ft). Highest peak: Mount Elbrus, 5642 m (18 510 ft)

2. another name for Caucasia

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Caucasus Cultural  

1. Mountain range extending from the Black Sea southeast to the Caspian Sea, through extreme southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

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Discover More

It forms part of the traditional border between Europe and Asia.

Oil is its major resource. In World War II, the Germans tried to seize or neutralize this resource but were driven back by the Soviets.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Caucasus

The small Caucasus country is still haunted by Azerbaijan's 2023 military takeover of Karabakh, which ended decades of territorial conflict and prompted the exodus of the enclave's 100,000-strong ethnic Armenian population.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

The election has drawn significant international attention to the small South Caucasus nation of three million people, which has steadily grown closer to the West while still intertwined with Russia, its largest trading partner.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

The mitochondrial DNA from the Stajnia individuals belongs to the same genetic branch found in Neanderthals from the Iberian Peninsula, south-eastern France, and the northern Caucasus.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2026

“I don’t see the Iranians unconditionally surrendering,” she said, adding that the last time Tehran did so was in an 1800s treaty with the Russian Empire, when it ceded territory in the Caucasus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026

The 588th was sent to help prevent the Germans from taking over the Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, an important source of oil for the USSR.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein