After leaving the southwestern end of Lake Baikal, it flows north past the cities Irkutsk and Bratsk, then turns west after receiving the Ilim River and flows into the Yenisei River near Strelka.
Below its junction with the Ilim River the Angara is known also as the Upper Tunguska (Russian Verkhnyaya Tunguska). The Angara is navigable between Irkutsk and Bratsk; below Bratsk there are many rapids. At Bratsk there is a large dam with one of the world's largest hydroelectric power plants (ca. 4,500 MW); a smaller (660 MW) hydroelectric station is at Irkutsk. Two other dams span the river, making it one of the world's greatest sources of hydroelectric power.
The Upper Angara River (Russian Verkhnyaya Angara), ca. 320 km long, rises NE of Lake Baikal and flows SW through the Buryat Republic into the lake; it is partly navigable.