Zaural’skoye Plato

Zauralʼskoye Plato is a plateau region located to the east of the Ural Mountains in Kazakhstan. The name denotes the trans-Ural or Zaural area - a broad steppe and forest-steppe landscape on the Kazakh side of the Urals.

Terrain across the plateau is a mix of open steppe, river valleys and localized woodland, and the region is sparsely populated with agricultural and pastoral land use. The area is notable for its continental climate and wide horizons rather than single built landmarks.

Historically the plateau has been part of the migratory, pastoral and agricultural zones connecting Europe and Central Asia; administrative and settlement patterns have evolved with Russian and later Soviet administration into the present Kazakh state.

Geographically the plateau lies east of the Ural mountain range in northern Kazakhstan and forms part of the larger West Siberian/steppe transition zone.