The retinue makes the king, and the tributaries make the big rivers. They fill the main channel with water, form its basin and coastline. Their number can vary from one to several dozen. All tributaries of the Urals are inferior to it in length. Between themselves, they are divided into left and right in the direction of the flow.
Ural
The ancient name of the Urals is Yaik. So it was called until January 15, 1775, until the Russian Empress Catherine II renamed the river by her decree. The reason was the Pugachev rebellion, after it was suppressed, many geographical names of that area were changed in order to erase any mention of it from the people's memory.
The river occupies the 3rd place in Europe in terms of length, only the Danube and Volga are ahead. It is the second largest water artery that feeds the Caspian Sea. The source of the Urals is located on the slope of the Round Hill (Ur altau Ridge, Bashkortostan) at an altitude of 637 meters. The first tributaries of the Urals - an unnamed river on the left, on the right Chagan (one of the largest) flow less than a kilometer from the source. Their total number is 82: 44 - right, 38 - left.
The length of the main channel is 2428 kilometers. In Russia, it flows through the territory first of Bashkortostan, then through the Chelyabinsk and Orenburg regions. Moreover, in the latter, the Ural passes most of the Russian route of 1164 km. In Kazakhstan, it carries its waters through the Atyrau and West Kazakhstan regions for 1082 kilometers.
The area of the basin (the river itself, its delta, tributaries of the Urals, reservoirs) is 231,000 km2. The Upper Ural resembles a mountain shallow (up to 1.5 m) river, up to 80 meters wide. From Verkhne-Uralsk it acquires a flat character. Then to Orsk, making its way through the rocky shores, it is replete with rifts. After the right tributary of the river, the Sakmara calms down, acquires a wide winding channel with a calm flow.
Right
If you look at the map, the river looks like a curved tree with a thickening in the middle and short branches. The length of most tributaries is no more than 20 kilometers. The right tributaries of the Ural River, although they exceed the number of the left ones, are inferior to them in terms of the total volume of water. Large rivers include rivers (length in km):
- Guberlya – 111;
- Small Dogwood – 113;
- Irtek – 134;
- Tanalyk – 225;
- Chagan – 264;
- Big Dogwood – 172;
- Sakmara – 798.
The largest right tributary of the Urals is the Sakmara. In addition to the fact that the river has a decent length, it has numerous tributaries of the 2nd order. It flows almost parallel to the main channel. Its upper course is characteristic of mountain rivers with high steep banks, its middle and lower courses resemble a wide, calm,flat river.
List of right tributaries:
| Name of tributary | Confluence from the mouth (km) | River length (km) |
| Chagan (Shagan, Big Chagan) | 793 | 264 |
| Frontier | 885 | 80 |
| Bykovka (Big Bull) | 897 | 82 |
| Embulatovka | 901 | 82 |
| Irtek | 981 | 134 |
| Kosh | 1002 | 47 |
| Big Toothpick | 1192 | 16 |
| Kamysh-Samarka | 1202 | 26 |
| Elshanka (Tokmakovka) | 1229 | 18 |
| Keys | 1237 | 19 |
| Chain | 1246 | 13 |
| Kargalka (Big Kargalka) | 1262 | 70 |
| Sakmara | 1286 | 798 |
|
Alabaytalka |
1484 | 12 |
| Elshanka | 1518 | 15 |
| Dry Valley | 1531 | 12 |
| Mechetka (Kukryak) | 1541 | 19 |
| Aksakalk | 1555 | 18 |
| Dry River | 1407 | 12 |
| Knitting | 1436 | 28 |
| Karalga | 1558 | 21 |
| Dirty 1st | 1559 | 12 |
| Pismyanka | 1583 | 18 |
| Elshanka | 1596 | 17 |
| Kinderla (Linnet) | 1614 | 22 |
| Dry River | 1622 | 22 |
| Guberlya | 1633 | 111 |
| Tanalik | 1827 | 225 |
| Big Urtazymka | 1885 | 87 |
| Skinny | 2002 | 81 |
| Big Dogwood | 2014 | 172 |
| Yangelka | 2091 | 73 |
| Small Dogwood | 2172 | 113 |
| Rust | 2177 | 16 |
| Yamskaya | 2264 | 20 |
| Yalshanka (Elshang) | 2293 | 11 |
| Karanelga | 2316 | 13 |
|
Mindyak |
2320 | 60 |
| Small Tustu | 2361 | 18 |
| Tarlau | 2376 | 11 |
| Kurgash | 2381 | 21 |
| Birsya | 2390 | 30 |
| Baral | 2398 | 21 |
Left
The largest left tributaries are (length in km):
- Zingeyka –102;
- Bolshaya Karaganka – 111;
- Urta-Burtya – 115;
- Gumbaika - 202;
- Big Kumak – 212;
- Chest - 174;
- Or - 332;
- Ilek – 623.
Lefta tributary of the Ural River - Ilek - originates in the Mutodzhar mountains (South Kazakhstan). Near the river, a well-developed valley has two terraces above the floodplain, rich in numerous oxbow lakes and channels. The total area of the basin is 41300 km2, the annual water flow rate is about 1500 m3, the average water flow is 40 m³/s. Ilek is a typical steppe river with a pronounced spring flood. The largest left tributary of the Urals, despite the huge catchment area, does not claim to be the most abundant.
Left tributaries:
| Name of tributary | Confluence from the mouth (km) | River length (km) |
| Un titled | 905 | 21 |
| Solyanka (Jaxy-Bourlue, Jaxy-Burlue) | 924 | 51 |
| Black | 1173 | 96 |
| Toothpick | 1196 | 17 |
| Krestovka | 1221 | 19 |
| Donguz | 1251 | 95 |
| Ilek | 1085 | 623 |
| Nameless | 1471 | 14 |
| Berdyanka | 1323 | 65 |
| Burtya | 1404 | 95 |
| Urta-Burtya | 1480 | 95 |
| Tuzlukkol (Tuzluk-Kul) | 1500 | 20 |
| Karagashty | 1514 | 13 |
| Burly | 1528 | 37 |
| Un titled | 1557 | 13 |
| Zhangyzagashsay (Dzhangyz-Agach-Say) | 1569 | 12 |
| Alimbet | 1595 | 45 |
| Un titled | 1629 | 12 |
| Terekla (Kosagach) | 1641 | 23 |
| Shoshka (Cup) | 1662 | 47 |
| Shout | 1715 | 332 |
| Big Kumak (Kuma, Kumak) | 1733 | 212 |
| Chest (Suyndyk) | 1828 | 174 |
| Tashla | 1847 | 31 |
| Burle | 1860 | 29 |
| Lower Goose | 1907 | 18 |
| Medium Goose | 1916 | 15 |
| Upper Goose | 1938 | 23 |
| Big Karaganka (Karaganka) | 1959 | 111 |
| Sinful | 2018 | 10 |
| Dry | 2037 | 16 |
| Zingeyka | 2104 | 102 |
| Gumbeika | 2116 | 202 |
| Dry River | 2136 | 31 |
| Thieves' (Asche-Butak, Kara-Butak) | 2217 | 26 |
| Urlyada | 2274 | 42 |
| Kandybulak | 2343 | 23 |
Use
Ural is not a navigable river. The main direction of its use is tourism and fishing. The tributaries of the Urals are not inferior to the main channel in terms of beauty and the presence of fish, almost 30 species are read in them. Many tourist bases have been built on the shores.
The lakes formed by the river attract the attention of lovers of the wildrecreation. Beautiful sandy beaches, calm still water and excellent fishing will satisfy any request.
Magnitogorsk and Khalilov metallurgical plants use the waters of the Urals in their work. A hydroelectric power station was built near the village of Iriklinskaya. In agriculture, it is used to irrigate fields.
