The Ural Mountains also known simply as the Urals, is a mountain range that runs roughly north and south through western Russia.
The Urals extend 2500 km from the Kazakh steppes along the northern border of Kazakhstan to the coast of the Arctic ocean. The island of Novaya Zemlya forms a further continuation of the chain. Geographically this range marks the northern part of the (arbitrary) border between asian and european sections of the Eurasia continent. Its highest peak is Mount Narodnaya (Poznurr, 1895m). The Virgin Komi Forests in the northern Urals is recognized as a World Heritage site.
The Urals are among the world's oldest extant mountain ranges. They were formed in the late Carboniferous period.