Bolshoy Uzen

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Bolshoy Uzen (Big Uzen) is a river in Russia and Kazakhstan. It is about 650 kilometers long and drains a basin of roughly 15,600 square kilometers. The river rises on the western edge of the Obshchy Syrt highlands in Russia and flows generally south across the Caspian Depression. It runs about 50 kilometers west of the Maly Uzen, with Lake Balykty Sarkyl lying between the two rivers. Bolshoy Uzen ends in the Kamys-Samar Lakes in western Kazakhstan.

Novouzensk is a town on the Bolshoy Uzen, and the river is used for water supply and irrigation in the region.

Flow and climate: The river’s discharge varies with the seasons. At Novouzensk, it ranges from about 7 to 393 cubic meters per second, peaking in spring from snowmelt. In summer some stretches may dry up. The river typically freezes in winter, from December to late March or early April.

Names: In Kazakh the river is called Ülken Özen (Big River) and is also referred to as Qaraozen (Black River).