The length of the Great Yenisei is , its basin area is . The river is navigable for from the mouth. It flows out of Lake Kara-Balik. High water level of the river is due to the fact that the catchment area of the river includes the
Todzha Basin, which relief forms a wide catchment area. The river receives numerous tributaries, the largest of them are right Toora-Khem, Khamsara, Systyg-Khem. The basin of the Bolshoy Yenisei is a mountainous region, which borders in the north and east are the administrative boundaries of
Tuva with
Buryatia,
Irkutsk Oblast and
Krasnoyarsk Krai. The river flows through the Tuva basin in its lower course. Near the city of
Kyzyl it joins the Kaa-Hem, forming the Ulug-Khem, which is actually the beginning of the Upper Yenisei. The whole Todzhinsky District of the Republic of Tuva is located in the basin of the river, its centre, Toora-Khem, is located at the confluence of the Toora-Khem tributary. ==Protected area==