Ciscaucasia
Encyclopedia
Ciscaucasia also Ciscaucasus or Fore-Caucasus, is a part of the Caucasus
region, and of the North Caucasus
in particular.
The region is at the northern foothills of the Greater Caucasus
range, from the Sea of Azov
in the west to the Caspian Sea
in the east, separated from the East European Plain
in the north by the Kuma-Manych Depression
. Ciscaucasia was historically covered by the Pontic steppe, mostly on fertile calcareous chernozem
soils, which has been almost completely tilled and grazed. Ciscaucasia includes the Kuban Lowland in the west, the Terek-Kuma Lowland in the east, and the Stavropol Upland separating them. The climate of the region becomes increasingly arid
to the east. The major rivers are the Kuban
and Terek.
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
region, and of the North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
in particular.
The region is at the northern foothills of the Greater Caucasus
Greater Caucasus
Greater Caucasus , sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains....
range, from the Sea of Azov
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
in the west to the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
in the east, separated from the East European Plain
East European Plain
The East European Plain is a plain comprising a series of river basins in Eastern Europe. Together with the Northern European Plain it constitutes the European Plain. It is the largest mountain-free part of the European landscape.The plain spans approximately and averages about in elevation...
in the north by the Kuma-Manych Depression
Kuma-Manych Depression
The Kuma–Manych Depression , is a geological depression in southwestern Russia that separates the Russian Plain from the Fore-Caucasus...
. Ciscaucasia was historically covered by the Pontic steppe, mostly on fertile calcareous chernozem
Chernozem
Chernozem , also known as "black land" or "black earth", is a black-coloured soil containing a high percentage of humus 7% to 15%, and high percentages of phosphoric acids, phosphorus and ammonia...
soils, which has been almost completely tilled and grazed. Ciscaucasia includes the Kuban Lowland in the west, the Terek-Kuma Lowland in the east, and the Stavropol Upland separating them. The climate of the region becomes increasingly arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
to the east. The major rivers are the Kuban
Kuban River
The Kuban River is a river in Russia, in the North Caucasus region. It flows mostly through Krasnodar Krai but also in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Stavropol Krai and the Republic of Adygea....
and Terek.