Christian Stangl

Shkara

5.193m

Is this the third highest peak of Europe? According to a DGPS topographical survey of Peter Schoen in the summer of 2010 the altitude of Shkara was confirmed (http://www.mountain.ru/article/article_display1.php?article_id=5000)

But the mountain has a distinctive feature: out of all of the 21 world summits it’s the only mountain at a continental border, between Europe and Asia. The common border between the continents is defined as: Ural Range – Ural river – Caspian Sea – Caucasus (along the main ridge and Shkara peak is exactly on the said main ridge) Black Sea – Bosporus.

Some scientists pledge for a different "geological" border, defining the border along the Manythsch lowland in the Northwest of the Caucasus. However, since the "seven summits" defined Elbrus as the highest mountain in Europe, I logically count the Caucasus for the entire "21 world summits" project.