North Caucasus, Geographic region between Black and Caspian seas in Russia.
The North Caucasus is a region in southern Russia stretching from the Black Sea in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east and bordered by the Greater Caucasus in the south. The northern part consists of plains while the southern half is dominated by the mountain range.
Russian forces completed their conquest of these lands in 1864 and permanently changed the population. Many communities fled at that time to the Ottoman Empire.
The ethnic groups here speak languages that no European traveler will easily recognize: Chechen, Avar, Kabardian and many others sound completely different from Russian. In the mountains you often hear how several languages exist side by side in a single village.
The terrain shifts quickly from flat land in the north to high mountains in the south with Mount Elbrus reaching over 5,600 meters in elevation. Access to remote valleys can be difficult especially in winter.
Residents in some mountain communities reach unusually old ages and often live beyond one hundred years. Researchers believe diet, mountain air and physical work play a role in this.
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