Kim Steele, age 16, of Camden, N.J., for her question:

BOW LONG IS THE URAL MOUNTAIN RANGE?

Dividing the European part of the Soviet Union from the Asian section are the Ural Mountains. This is a range that stretches from the Arctic Ocean in the north almost down to the Caspian Sea in the south for a distance of 1,250 miles.

The Ural mountain range plays an important part in the region's climate. Moist, mild Atlantic air cools and loses its moisture when it rises to cross the Urals. Siberia is much dryer and colder than the European part of the U.S.S.R.

The Urals are one of the world's richest mineral areas. There are lots of deposits of high grade iron ore, manganese, nickel, copper, platinum, bauxite, gold, asbestos, precious stones, petroleum and uranium in the Urals.

Many of the mineral deposits weren't discovered until after World War II. As a result, the area has grown tremendously in recent years. New industries have been established. And population has increased greatly, too.