Likhi Range

The Likhi Range is a mountain chain in central Georgia that separates the country into western and eastern regions and forms a major watershed between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea basins.

A relatively narrow belt of ridges and valleys, the range contains the main mountain passes used for road and rail connections across central Georgia. Roads through these passes concentrate traffic between the two halves of the country and offer short hiking routes and viewpoints along forested slopes.

The range is a natural feature that has served as a travel and communications barrier and corridor for centuries; its passes have been improved repeatedly as road and rail networks developed. Infrastructure through the passes was expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries to improve east‑west travel.

Geographically it runs north-south in central Georgia between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus zones, roughly between the cities of Tbilisi and Kutaisi, and rises from low foothills into higher, forested ridges.

• East‑west watershed: forms the main topographic divide between western and eastern Georgia, creating separate river catchments for the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
• Major transit corridor: contains several road and rail passes that have long served as the principal land links between the two halves of the country.