How does vegetation change from the northern Ural Mountains to the Mughalzhar Hills?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The vegetation across the Ural Mountains transitions significantly as one moves from the north toward the southern Mughalzhar Hills, reflecting the range's vast latitudinal span.12

  • Northern Regions: The northern Urals are characterized by mountain tundra, which in the Polar and Nether-Polar regions can appear at elevations as low as 1,300 feet.1
  • Central Regions: Moving southward, the landscape transitions into vast boreal forests, or taiga, consisting of spruce, fir, pine, and larch.1
  • Southern Regions: Further south, the forests give way to steppe environments dominated by feather grass, meadows, and various pasture grasses like fescue and timothy.1
  • Mughalzhar Hills: As the range reaches its southern extension in the Mughalzhar Hills, the landscape culminates in semidesert conditions. South of the Ural River, the vegetation shifts to wormwood and other semidesert growths adapted to the highly saline, light chestnut soils of the region.1