Its source is about above sea level and its mouth, . It flows first west and then south through the
taiga and swampland of the
Lena-Angara Plateau. At its juncture with the Kupa, it turns east and flows through a relatively narrow and deep valley to Ust-Kut. It is not navigable and is frozen from November to the middle of May. The upper course is practically uninhabited, but is used for forestry. The lower course has a few villages. The
Baikal-Amur Mainline from
Bratsk eastward runs along its north side for about . The next river to the west is the
Ilim. In Cossack times a portage from the Ilim to the Kuta connected the Yenisei and Lena basins.
Tributaries The
Kupa is a right tributary that flows directly north and joins the Kuta where it turns east. == See also ==