Piterka

The Maly Uzen flows through the dry steppe around Piterka, southward toward the enclosed Kamysh-Samara lakes. Its winding course crosses the open land east of the Volga without reaching the sea. Seasonal changes in water and pasture shaped movement across this part of the Caspian lowland. The village of Piterka was established later; the river valley had long been part of the pastoral country between the Volga and Ural.