Caucasus is a massive mountain range between the Black and Caspian Seas, the highest in all of Western Asia. It was formed during the Alpine orogeny and consists of granite and gneiss. The landscape is diverse, ranging from semi-deserts, through forests and alpine meadows to high mountains with eternal snow and ice. American and British geographers classify it as part of Europe, but the boundary recognized in most of Europe (including Russia) lies about 250 km north of the main ridge of the Caucasus, which is therefore entirely in Asia (for more details see Boundary between Europe and Asia on Wikipedia). The highest peak is Elbrus (5642 m), the highest mountain in Russia. The Caucasus also hosts the highest mountains of Georgia (Shkhara, 5193 m) and Azerbaijan (Bazardüzü, 4466 m).