Ural Mountains

Ural or Oural Mountains, The, a range extending from the Arctic Ocean to the N. of the Aral Sea, and separating European from Asiatic Russia. It has a length of about 1,330 miles and a breadth at most of 60 miles, the average elevation being 3,000 feet, though some points rise to 5,500 feet. Composed mainly of crystalline schists and igneous rocks, the Urals are exceedingly rich in precious metals, e.g. gold, platinum, iridium, green carbonate of copper. Diamonds are also found. The Petchora, Kama, Ufa, and other rivers rise here, the chief being the Ural, which flows for 1,046 miles into the Caspian Sea. Orenberg is on its banks.