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The Ural Mountains extend about 2,500 km (1,550 mi) from the Kara Sea to the Kazakh steppes along the northern border of Kazakhstan. Vaygach Island and the island of Novaya Zemlya form a further continuation of the chain on the north. Geographically this range marks the northern part of the border between the continents of Europe and Asia. Its highest peak is Mount Narodnaya (1,895 m or 6,213 ft).

By topography and other natural features, Ural is divided, from north to south, into the Polar (or Arctic), Nether-Polar (or Sub-Arctic), Northern, Central and Southern parts. The Polar Ural extends for about 385 kilometers (240 miles) from the Mount Konstantinov Kamen in the north to the Khulga River in the south; it has an area of about 25,000 km² and a strongly dissected relief. The maximum height is 1,499 meters (4,915 feet) at the Payer Mountain and the average height is 1,000–1,100 meters (3,280–3,605 feet). The mountains of Polar Ural could have sharp ridges but there are also flattened or rounded tops.

The Nether-Polar Ural is wider (up to 150 km) and higher than the Polar Ural, with the highest peaks of 1,895 m (6,213 feet, Mount Narodnaya), 1,878 m (6,157 feet, Mount Karpinsky (Urals)) and 1,662 m (5,450 feet, Manaraga). It extends for more than 225 kilometers (140 miles) south to the Shchugor River. Its many ridges have sawtooth shape and are dissected by river valleys. Both Polar and Nether-Polar Urals are typically Alpine; they bear traces of Pleistocene glaciation and permafrost and have a rather developed modern glaciation that includes 143 glaciers.

The Northern Ural consists of a series of parallel ridges with the height up to 1,000–1,200 m and longitudinal depressions. They are elongated from north to south and stretch for about 560 km (340 miles) from the Usa River. Most of the tops are flattened, but those of the highest mountains, such as Telposiz (1,617 m or 5,300 ft) and Konzhakovsky Stone (1,569 m or 5,144 ft) have dissected topography. Intensive weathering has produced vast areas of eroded stones on the mountain slopes and summits of the northern areas.

The Central Ural is the lowest part of Urals, with the highest mountain of 994 m (Basegi) and smooth mountain tops; it extends south from the Ufa River.

The relief of Southern Ural is more complex, with numerous valleys and parallel ridges directed south-west and meridionally. Its maximum height is 1,640 m (5,377 ft, Mount Yamantau) and the widths reaches 250 km. The Southern Ural extends some 550 km (340 mi) up to the sharp westward bend of the Ural River and terminates in the wide Mughalzhar Hills.