Which mountain range forms a traditional boundary between Europe and Asia?

The Ural Mountains form the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia.

The Urals run mainly north–south through western Russia, extending from the Arctic coast toward the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. In the conventional geographic model, they separate European Russia to the west from Siberia and the rest of northern Asia to the east.

This boundary is a human geographic convention rather than a sharply defined natural divide between two separate landmasses. Europe and Asia are joined within Eurasia, so geographers have proposed different lines in the south, involving the Caucasus Mountains, the Kuma–Manych Depression, or nearby rivers. The Ural Mountains nevertheless remain the standard answer in school geography and general-reference quizzes.

The range is geologically ancient, having formed during the Uralian orogeny roughly 250–300 million years ago. It is also rich in iron ore, coal, copper, precious metals, and gemstones. Mount Narodnaya, about 1,895 meters high, is the Urals’ highest point. Their moderate elevations can make them seem less imposing than the Alps or Caucasus, but their geographic role is exceptionally influential.