The Ural Mountains

mountains · geography · Europe and Asia

Splits two continents. The Ural Mountains form the official boundary between Europe and Asia, so they literally divide two giant continents in two.

Really, really long. These mountains stretch over 2,500 kilometers from the Arctic Ocean in the north all the way down to Kazakhstan near the Caspian Sea.

Not super tall. The Urals are more like rolling highlands than dramatic peaks, with an average height of around 1,000 to 1,300 meters, making them much gentler than mountains like the Alps.

Peak called Narodnaya. The highest point in the Ural Mountains is Mount Narodnaya at 1,894 meters, which is still lower than many mountains in other parts of the world.

Arctic extensions. Vaygach Island and Novaya Zemlya to the north are actually the continuation of the Ural Mountains stretching right out into the Arctic Ocean.