Javalkheti Plateau ( ka, ჯავახეთის პლატო) is a

volcanic plateau A volcanic plateau is a plateau produced by volcanic activity. There are two main types: lava plateaus and pyroclastic plateaus. Lava plateau Lava plateaus are formed by highly fluid basaltic lava during numerous successive eruptions throu ...

within the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains, : pronounced * hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ, : pronounced * az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced * rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ * tr, Kafkas Dağla ...

that covers the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, along the border with

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

and

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

. Its elevation is over 2,000 m.

Geography

The plateau is a large grassland plain (

alpine steppe The Alpine-steppe is a high altitude natural alpine grassland, which is a part of the Montane grasslands and shrublands biome. Alpine-steppes are unique ecosystems found throughout the world, especially in Asia, where they make up 38.9% of the to ...

) with many

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

s and alpine

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

s (six of the largest lakes of Georgia, Tabatskuri,

Paravani The Paravani ( ka, ფარავანი) is a river of southern Georgia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Khanchali, Madatapa, Kartsakhi, Saghamo). The Javalkheti Wetlands are included in the

Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in ...

List of Wetlands of International Importance This is the list of Wetlands of International Importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientifi ...

. The plain is crossed from north to south by the Abuli-Samsari Mountain Range, a series of

volcanic cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and ...

s. The western side of the plateau is surrounded by the

Javakheti Range Javakheti Range or Javakhk Range (also Kechut Range or Wet Mountains; ka, ჯავახეთის ქედი; hy, Ջավախքի լեռնաշղթա) – is a volcanic range in southern Georgia and northern Armenia. The range is about 50& ...

.Caucasus birding: Javalkheti
/ref>

References

Lava plateaus Mountains of Georgia (country) Landforms of the Caucasus Volcanoes of Georgia (country) {{Georgia-geo-stub

Geography

See also

References