Irek

Irek takes its name from the winding Irtek River, a right-bank tributary of the Ural. Rising on the Melovoy Syrt upland, the river runs southwest across the steppe before joining the Ural. Its channel twists and divides, leaving old courses and pools along the valley. Chalk outcrops appear in the upper basin, contrasting with the open grasslands that surround the river farther downstream.