Gagra Range is a mountain range

Mountain range

A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...

 of the Caucasus Major in Abkhazia

Abkhazia

Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...

. The range runs between the valleys of the Bzyb

Bzyb River

Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev once proposed a major dam and hydroelectric power generation facility on the Bzyb River, since his favourite resort was located near the mouth of the river at Pitsunda. However, this proposal was ruled out by his experts who opined that a dam built on the Bzyb...

 and Psou

Psou River

Psou River is a river in the West Caucasus. It flows along the Southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and forms a part of the border between Georgia and Russia. The river flows into the Black Sea. The length of the Psou is 57 km and the drainage basin is approximately...

 rivers to the south of the Caucasus Major, in a general North-South direction. The highest elevation is 2,256 m (Mount Agepsta

Mount Agepsta

Mount Agepsta is a mountain of the Gagra Range in Abkhazia. The elevation of the summit is above sea level. The slopes of Agepsta, up to an elevation of 1700–1800 metres are covered by fir and beech forests. Higher elevations are covered by alpine meadows and the highest locations of the mountain...

).

The Gagra Range approaches the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

 close to the city of Gagra

Gagra

Gagra is a town in Abkhazia, Georgia’s breakaway republic, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains...

 and plays an important role in moderating the climate of that resort by blocking cold, continental winds from the north and east.

The range is mostly made up of limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

, with pronounced karst topography

Karst topography

Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...

 and is characterized by many deep canyon

Canyon

A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...

s created by rivers. The deepest cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

 in the world, the Voronya Cave

Voronya Cave

The Krubera Cave is the deepest known cave on Earth. It is located in the Arabika Massif of the Gagrinsky Range of the Western Caucasus, in the Gagra district of Abkhazia, Georgia’s breakaway republic.The difference in the altitude of the cave's entrance and its deepest explored point is...

, is located in the Arabika Massif

Arabika Massif

Arabika Massif is a glacially eroded karst outcropping of the Gagra Range, Abkhazia in the West Caucasus, by the city of Gagra. Highest elevation: .The world's deepest cave, Voronya Cave, is located in the massif....

 of the Gagra Range.

A highway to Lake Ritsa

Lake Ritsa

Lake Ritsa , located in the northern part of Abkhazia, is a lake in the Caucasus Mountains, surrounded by mixed mountain forests and subalpine meadows. Its water is cold and clear. Mountains with heights of 2,200 to 3,500 m surround the lake...

 runs by the range, along the Bzyb, Iupshara and Gega rivers.