The Bolshoy Uzen (russian: Большой Узень, lit=Big Uzen) or Ulken Uzen ( kk, Үлкен Өзен, lit=Big River ''Úlken Ózen or'' ) is a river in

Saratov Oblast Saratov Oblast (russian: Сара́товская о́бласть, ''Saratovskaya oblast'') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the types of ...

of Russia and

West Kazakhstan Province West Kazakhstan Region ( kk, Батыс Қазақстан облысы, translit=Batys Qazaqstan oblysy; russian: Западно-Казахстанская область, translit=Zapadno-Kazakhstanskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. The re ...

of Kazakhstan. It is long, with a drainage basin of .Узень Большой и Малый
Great Soviet Encyclopedia The Bolshoy Uzen has its sources on the western edge of the

Obshchy Syrt Obshchy Syrt (russian: Общий Сырт) is a highland ridge, or plateau (''syrt''), in the European part of Russia. It starts north of Orenburg as a branch of the Ural Mountains and runs in a southwesterly direction to the east bank of the Volga ...

highlands of Russia, and flows in a generally southerly direction over the

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

s of the Caspian Depression. It terminates in West-Kazakhstan, in a network of small lakes and swamps called the Kamysh-Samarskiye Lakes. The Bolshoy Uzen runs parallel to the Maly Uzen River, some further west. Most of the river's waters comes from snowmelt, so the river's flow peaks in April, while in the summer parts of the river will dry up completely. At Novouzensk the discharge varies from . The river freezes over in December and stays icebound to the end of March or the beginning of April. The town of

Novouzensk Novouzensk ( rus, Новоузе́нск, p=nəvəʊˈzʲɛnsk) is a town and the administrative center of Novouzensky District of Saratov Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Bolshoy Uzen River at its confluence with the Chertanly R ...

is situated at the Bolshoy Uzen. The river is used for water supply and irrigation.

References

{{coord, 48.9006, N, 49.9122, E, source:wikidata, display=title Rivers of Saratov Oblast Rivers of Kazakhstan