A long river traditionally taken as part of the boundary between Europe and Asia.
Length
2,428 km
Source
Ural Mountains, Russia
Mouth
Caspian Sea
Continent
Asia
Countries
Russia & Kazakhstan
Did you know?
The Ural River is often used to mark where Europe ends and Asia begins across the steppes.
Little-known fact
It was once one of the world's great sources of caviar, from the sturgeon that spawned in its waters.
Highlights
- Marks the Europe-Asia divide
- Flows to the Caspian Sea
- Once a great caviar river
Life in the Ural
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Beluga sturgeon
A giant armoured fish that can live over 100 years and yields the world’s most prized caviar.
Wels catfish
A monstrous European catfish that can top 2.5 m and has learned to beach itself to catch pigeons.
Northern pike
A long, torpedo-shaped ambush predator that lurks among weeds across the cool rivers and lakes of the north.
Water plants & reeds
Common reed
The tall, feathery grass that forms the vast reedbeds fringing rivers and lakes, sheltering countless birds.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here