| Country Type: | Countries |
| Parent: | Caucasian / Armenian Highlands |
| Borders On: | Greater Caucasus |
| Length Km: | 600 |
| Length Orientation: | NW-SE |
| Highest: | Aragats[1] |
| Elevation M: | 4090 |
| Range Coordinates: | 41°N 44°W |
The Lesser Caucasus or Lesser Caucasus Mountains, also called Caucasus Minor, is the second of the two main ranges of the Caucasus Mountains, of length about 600km (400miles). The western portion of the Lesser Caucasus overlaps and converges with east Turkey and northwest Iran. It runs parallel to the Greater Caucasus, at a distance averaging about 100km (100miles) south from the Likhi Range (Georgia) and limits east Turkey from the north and north-east. It’s connected with the Pontic range[2] and separated from it by the Kolkhida Lowland (Georgia) in the west and Kura-Aras Lowland (Azerbaijan) (by the Kura River) in the east.
The highest peak is Aragats in Armenia, 4090m (13,420feet).
The borders between Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran run through the range, although its crest does not usually define the border. The range was historically called Anticaucasus or Anti-Caucasus (Greek: Αντι-Καύκασος, Russian: Антикавка́з, Анти-Кавка́з). This usage is commonly found in older sources.[3] [4] Current usage tends towards using the name Lesser Caucasus, but Anti-caucasus can still be found in modern texts.[5] [6]