  Radio relics are vast synchrotron sources that sit on the outskirts of
merging galaxy clusters. In this work we model their formation using a
Press-Schechter formalism to simulate merger rates, analytical models for the
intracluster medium and the shock dynamics, as well as a simple model for the
cosmic-ray electrons at the merger shocks. We show that the statistical
properties of the population of radio relics are strongly dependent on key
physical parameters, such as the acceleration efficiency, the magnetic field
strength at the relic, the geometry of the relic and the duration of the
electron acceleration at merger shocks. It turns out that the flux distribution
as well as the power-mass relation can constrain key parameters of the
intracluster medium. With the advent of new large-area radio surveys,
statistical analyses of radio relics will complement what we have learned from
observations of individual objects.
