| Mugalzhar | |
| Other Name: | Мұғалжар / Мугоджары |
| Highest: | Ulken Baktybay |
| Elevation M: | 657 |
| Map: | Kazakhstan#European Russia |
| Location: | Kazakhstan |
| Age: | Precambrian, Paleozoic |
| Length Km: | 200 |
| Length Orientation: | N/S |
| Width Km: | 30 |
| Width Orientation: | E/W |
Mugalzhar (Kazakh: Мұғалжар), also known as Mugodzhar Hills or Mugodzhar Range (Russian: Мугоджары),[1] is a mountain range of moderate height in the Aktobe Region of northwestern Kazakhstan.
Stretching in a roughly north/south direction, the Mugalzhar is a southern prolongation of the Ural Mountains. The northernmost section a narrow ridge that branches into two almost parallel ridges separated by the gently undulating 20km (10miles) Alabass Basin (Russian: Алабасская котловина).[2]
The Mugalzhar has a length of about 200km (100miles) with a width of 30km (20miles). It stretches from the Or River (река Орь) as a narrow range that further south splits in two: the Eastern Mugalzhar and Western Mugalzhar. The highest point is 657m (2,156feet) high Mount Ulken Baktybay, rising in the Eastern Mugalzhar.[3] [4] [5]
Located at the southern end, the Shoshkakol Buirat is a spur of low hills reaching a height of 408m (1,339feet).[4] In the northern section, the wider Mugalzhar connects with the Guberlin Mountains.[3]
The Mugalzhar forms the divide between the Caspian and Aral Sea basins.[2] Some of the rivers having their sources in the Mugalzhar are Or, Emba, Irgiz, Zhylandysay, Bolgasyn and Kauylzhyr.[4] [3]
