Ural River

The Ural river is a large stream of fresh water that flows into the Caspian Sea. It is 2,428 km (1,508 miles) in length and it drains an area of 231,000 Km2. It rises in the Uraltau Range of the Southern Ural Mountains, near Mt. Kruglaya, Russia. It first flows in a westward direction, then it turns left at the city of Uralsk, running southward all the way into the Caspian Sea near the city of Gurev.

In its upper course, the Ural is a mountain river. Then it flows through marshy land, after which its valley alternately narrows and broadens to as much as 5 km. Below Verkhneuralsk, it becomes a plain river. At Magnitogorsk and lower, the river is bounded by rocky banks. It was formerly known as the Iaik river before 1775.

The largest tributaries of the Ural are the Sakmara, Irtek, and Chagan on the right, and the Or, Ilek, and Utva on the left. The Olenti, Kaldygaity, and Uil rivers disappear through seepage loss in the Caspian Lowland without reaching the Ural. The Ural freezes over in early November in the upper course, and in late November in the middle and lower courses. The ice breaks up in late March in the lower course and in early April in the upper course. The period of ice drift is short, and ice jams are common. The river is navigable from Uralsk to Gurev.

The Ural river is fed primarily by melting snow. Spring high water takes place from late March to early April in the lower course, and approximately from the middle of the second week of April to June in its upper course. There is minor flooding in the upper course in the summer and fall, and a stable low water level for the remainder of the year. During high water the river overflows its banks in the middle course and exceeds 10 km in width, broadening in the delta to tens of kilometers. The highest water levels occur in late April in the upper course and in early May in the lower course.

Fauna

Ural river fish of commercial importance include sturgeons of the genus Acispenser, especially stellate sturgeon (A stellatus), and also pike perch, herring, European bream, carp, and European catfish. The cities of Verkhneural’sk, Magnitogorsk, Orsk, Novotroitsk, Orenburg, Ural’sk and Gur’ev are situated on the river. The northern mole and the marbled polecat, as well as sand lizards, turtles, and water snakes are also found on the banks of the river.

The Ural river is marked in dark blue. You can also see the Volga, which also flows into the Caspian Sea.