Talysh Mountains (; ; ) is a mountain range in the Lankaran-Astara Economic region of Azerbaijan and the Ardabil and Gilan Provinces of Iran.

Geography and geology

The Talysh Mountains extend southeastward from the Lankaran Lowland in southeastern Azerbaijan to the lower part of the Sefid River in northwestern Iran. They reach a general elevation of around , with their highest peak, Mount Kömürgöy, rising to .

Geologically, the Talysh Mountain Range is made mainly of the Late Cretaceous volcano-sedimentary deposits with a strip of Paleozoic rocks and a band of Triassic and Jurassic rocks in the southern parts, both in a north-west-southeast direction.

Ecology

The maximum annual precipitation in the Talysh Mountains is between 1,600mm to 1,800mm, which along the Lankaran Lowland is the highest precipitation in both Azerbaijan and Iran. The humid semi-subtropical coastal lowlands along the Caspian Sea, including the Lankaran Lowland, lie at the eastern base of the mountains.

The Talysh Mountains are covered by lowland and montane forests. The area is part of the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests ecoregion.

The Caspian tiger used to occur in the Talysh Mountains.

See also

• Lankaran Lowland — see for map of range

References