evidence: The Caucasus Mountains is a strategically important region located at the intersection of Asia and Europe. The Caucasus is divided into two main regions; North Caucasus and South Caucasus. The North Caucasus covers part of Eastern Europe, majorly Russia, while the South Caucasus corresponds with Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. Different powers, both Muslims and Christians, have vied for the region’s control for centuries. Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed territory in the South Caucasus located within Karabakh. Although the disputed territory is recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan, it is an ethnic-majority Armenian region controlled by the Republic of Artsakh (formerly known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic). Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked area in Transcaucasia (South Caucasus) located in Karabakh, a geographic area lying between Zangezur and lower Karabakh and covering Lesser Caucasus. Karabakh is mostly a mountainous region extending from eastern Armenia to Southwestern Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh is located in southwestern Azerbaijan and covers approximately 4,400 square kilometers, with the entire area located at an average elevation of 1,100 meters above sea level. It is equated to the historical Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. However, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic presently controls 8,223 square kilometers.