Lesser Caucasus

This is the second of the two great ranges that make up the Caucasus system — Armenians call it Poqr Kovkas, literally "Little Caucasus." It runs roughly 600 km, cutting through the Armenian highlands and running parallel to the Greater Caucasus about 100 km south of Georgia's Likhi Range. An intermontane depression across the South Caucasus separates the two systems.

At its western edge, the range overlaps with territory in eastern Turkey and northwestern Iran, marking Turkey's northern and northeastern limit along that stretch.

Further west it links to the Pontic range, divided from it by Georgia's Kolkhida Lowland; to the east, Azerbaijan's Kura-Aras Lowland marks its boundary. Climbing gradually toward the southeast, the range reaches its highest point at 3,724 m on the Mrav ridge.

The range has no single access point — it spans the Armenian highlands and extends into Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran. Its approximate center lies about 147 km north-northwest of Yerevan (straight-line).