A 631,308 hectares (1,560,000 acres) sector of the hills is a protected area under the name Upper Taz Nature Reserve, which was established in December 1986.

The Uvaly form a drainage divide between the right tributaries of the Ob and the upper course of the Kazym, Nadym, Pur and Taz river basins.

The word "Uval" (Russian: Увал) refers to an elongated hill with a flat, slightly convex or wavy top and gentle slopes.

[4] The hills are low and have a smooth profile and include waterlogged basins in between, such as the central part, which is the lowest, having an almost flat relief.

The highest point of the Siberian Uvaly is an unnamed 285 metres (935 ft) high summit located in the Krasnoselkupsky District of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.