It is bounded by the Kuma–Manych Depression in the north, the Caspian Sea in the east, the Greater Caucasus range in the south and the Stavropol Upland in the west. The lowland is named after its major rivers, the Kuma and the Terek.
Another important river flowing through the lowland is the Sulak. The lowland is covered by sandy semi-deserts, dry steppes and reedmarshes in the deltas. The Terek-Kuma sands between the Kuma and Terek valleys are also known as the Nogai Steppe (Russian:Ногайская степь).