The Black Sea Coast of the Caucasus [antikvár]

The Black Sea Coast of the Caucasus 5 If you take a look at a map of the Soviet Union, then to the south of the European part you will see what appears to be a huge isthmus between the Azov, Black, and Caspian seas. This is the Caucasus, a land of mountains, attracting millions of tourists from all corners of the Soviet Union and abroad. The mountain peaks covered with eternal snow and glaciers, the coniferous and broadleaf deciduous forests, the rapid-flowing streams, the mountain lakes, the mysterious karst caves, and finally, the vast expanses of the Black Sea with its pebble and sandy beaches stretching for hundreds of kilometres make the Caucasus and the coastal region of the Black Sea a major tourist centre. The mountains and the sea have created this land. The warm air flows rushing down to the coast from the sea are trapped by the mountain ranges, preventing the cold air from entering the region from the north. The protection offered by the Greater Caucasus Range is particularly evident in winter. The average temperature in January in the northern part of the Caucasus is -5°C and in the southern part +7°C. The climate of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus also changes from west to east. In the western part of it, from Novorossiisk to Tuapse, it is mediterranean type with clear, dry, hot summers and rainy, relatively cold winters with high winds. The average temperature in January is +2°C. Since the mountains here are only 200 to 1,000 metres high, they do not shield the coast sufficiently well and at times the cold air is brought into the region by the north-eastern squall wind. The vegetation is comparatively sparse but in many places there are beech and chestnut forests with considerable numbers of Pitsunda and Crimean pines. As you move southwards from the Tuapse region to the basin of the river Psou the vegetation becomes more colourful and luxuriant. More and more frequently you come across beech, oak, chestnut, many species of subtropical plants, plane trees, laurel, magnolia, cypress and some species of palms. The coastal strip and the sea bed become more gently sloping. The amount of precipitation reaches 1,000 to 1,200 mm per year. The land between the mouths of the rivers Psou and Kodori are separated from the northern Caucasus by ranges of up to 4,000 metres. A moist subtropical climate is typical of this region, and the amount of precipitation is 1,200—1,400 mm per year; the average yearly temperature is the highest on the Black Sea coast. With the exception of Pitsunda and Myussera, no natural forests have been preserved here. The subtropical garden and park vegetation is luxuriant and varied. Along the main highway you will frequently see alleys lined with cypress, eucalyptus, plane-trees and many species of palms. The road from the village of Dranda to the town ofKobuleti mainly runs across the plain and through hills or the spurs of the Lesser Caucasus, which stretches for almost 600 kilometres. The mountain ranges in this region stand back from the Black Sea and do not create a pleasant coastal climate. The precipitation reaches 1,400-2,400 mm per year. In places there are frequent gusty winds, the vegetation is sparse, but the coast boasts wide sandy beaches, perhaps the best on the whole of the Black Sea coast.