ETHNIC SITUATION IN THE CAUCASUS

Abstract

The Caucasus, as a geographical area, is one of the most important historical, cultural and ethnographical regions of the world. Its territory, which is 440,700 square kilometres, is sharply divided by the Caucasus Mountains into northern and southern parts. This division, however, has not prevented close relations among its inhabitants. Historically, “close ties existed among the people of the Caucasus, and throughout the centuries, permanent economic and cultural communications have been preserved.”