Ural River

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Ural River

river, Central Asia

Also known as: Yaik River, Zhayyq River

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Kazak:: Zhayyq

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Ural River, river in Russia and Kazakhstan. The Ural is 1,509 miles (2,428 km) long and drains an area of 91,500 square miles (237,000 square km). It rises in the Ural Mountains near Mount Kruglaya and flows south along their eastern flank past Magnitogorsk. At Orsk it cuts westward across the southern end of the Urals, past Orenburg, and turns south again across a lowland of semidesert to enter the Caspian Sea at Atyraū. Its flow has a great spring maximum, and freeze-up lasts from late November to April. Navigation on the river is possible up to the city of Oral in Kazakhstan. A dam and hydroelectric station have been built at Iriklinsky, south of Magnitogorsk.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.