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 Alabass Basin (). The Mugalzhar has a length of about with a width of . 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 high Mount Ulken Baktybay (), rising in the Eastern Mugalzhar. Located at the southern end, the Shoshkakol Buirat is a spur of low hills reaching a height of . In the northern section, the wider Mugalzhar connects with the
Guberlin Mountains.
Hydrography The Mugalzhar forms the divide between the
Caspian and
Aral Sea basins. Some of the rivers having their sources in the Mugalzhar are
Or,
Emba,
Irgiz,
Zhylandysay,
Bolgasyn and
Kauylzhyr. == References ==