Ural River

Ural River
Map of the Ural River watershed
Origin	Russia
Mouth	Caspian Sea
Basin countries	Russia, Kazakhstan
Length	2,428 km (1,509 mi)
Source elevation
Avg. discharge	400 m³/s
Basin area	231,000 km² (89,190 mi²)

The Ural (Russian: Урал, Kazakh: Жайық, Jayıq or Zhayyq), known as Yaik (Russian: Яик) before 1775, is a river flowing through Russia and Kazakhstan. It arises in the southern Ural Mountains and ends at the Caspian Sea. Its total length is 1,511 mi (2,428 km). It forms part of the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia.

The Ural arises on the eastern side of the Ural Mountains, flows south through Magnitogorsk, and around the southern end of the Urals, through Orsk where it turns west for about 300 km, to Orenburg, when the Sakmara River joins. From Orenburg it continues west, passing into Kazakhstan, then turning south again at Oral, and meandering through a broad flat plain until it reaches the Caspian a few miles below Atyrau, where it forms a fine digitate delta at (46°53′N 51°37′E / 46.883°N 51.617°E / 46.883; 51.617).^[1]

Tributaries

The Ural river as seen from a plane between Uralsk and Atyrau, Kazakhstan. The left side (on the picture) of the river is Asian, the right is European

Tributaries, in order going upstream:

• Cagan River
• Irtek River
• Utva River
• Ilek River
  • Bol'saja Chobda
• Kindel'a River
• Sakmara River
  • Salmys River
• Or River
• Suunduk River

History

In the Middle Ages, the city of Saray-Jük on the lower Ural was an important trade center on the Silk Road. It later became an important center for the Golden Horde and the Nogai Horde,

After the Russian conquest (late 16th century), the shores of the Ural became home to the Ural Cossacks, one of whose main activities was fishing for the sturgeon and related fishes (including the true sturgeon, starry sturgeon, and beluga) in the Ural River and the Caspian. A great variety of fishing techniques existed, the most famous of them was bagrenye (багренье): spearing hibernating sturgeons in their underwater lairs in December. Another fishing technique was constructing a weir, known as uchug (учуг) across the river, to catch fish going upstream to spawn. While the uchug weirs were also known in the Volga Delta, the bagrenye was thought to be a uniquely Ural technique.

The cossacks, known originally as the Yaik Cossacks, disliked the central government's attempts to impose rules and regulations on them, and on occasions rose in rebellions. After the largest rebellion - the one led by Yemelyan Pugachev - Empress Catherine had them renamed to "Ural Cossacks", and the Yaik River, to the Ural River.

The famous Civil War commander Vasily Chapayev is thought to have drowned in the Ural, on September 5, 1919.

Gallery

The Ural river in the center of Atyrau, Kazakhstan. The right side (on the picture) of the river is Asian, the left is European

The "bird's-foot" ("digitate") delta of the Ural

References

v • d • e  Kazakhstan topics History Prehistory Saka · Huns Early history Göktürks · Karluks · Kara-Khanid Khanate · Mongol Empire · Golden Horde · Nogai Horde · White Horde since 1456 Kazakh Khanate · Jüz · Russian Turkestan · Alash Autonomy · Kazakh ASSR · Kazakh SSR · Republic of Kazakhstan Postage stamps and postal history Government and Politics Constitution · President · Prime Minister · Parliament (Senate · Majilis) · Political Parties · Elections · Foreign Relations · Military · LGBT rights Administrative divisions Provinces · Districts · Cities and towns Geography Kazakh Steppe · Altay Mountains · Caspian Sea · Aral Sea · Lake Balkhash · Syr Darya · Ural River · Zhetysu · Charyn Canyon · Tien Shan · Khan Tangiri Shyngy · Kyzyl Kum · Aral Karakum Economy National Bank of Kazakhstan · Kazakhstani tenge · Agriculture · Communications · Energy policy · Transport Demographics Kazakhs · Russians · Koreans · Germans · Armenians · Greeks · Jews · Human rights Religion Islam · Christianity · Hinduism · Religious freedom Culture Coat of arms · National flag · National anthem · Alphabet · Cuisine · Education · Language · Media · Music · Sport · Wedding · Famous Kazakhs  · Kaznet WikiProject · Portal