Chapter 16 Section 2
TRANSCAUSCASIA
A VARIETY OF CULTURES
Today more than 50 peoples live in in the region. Migrants brought many differnent languages to the region. The Arab geographers called the region Jabal Al-Alsun (mountain of language.
CZARIST AND SOVIET RULE
In the 18th century, the troops of the Russian Empire joined the list of invaders. Russia's Southward expansion had begun as early as the 1500's, but it was only the 1700's that the czar's army began making progress south of the Caucasus Mountains
LAND OF FLAMES
The significance of oil in the regiion has a long history. The name Azerbaijan means "land of flames". The republics founders chose the name because of the fires erupted seemingly by magic from both the rocks and the waters of the Caspian Sea. The fires were the result of uunderground oil and gas deposits.