Description:

 

Also known as the throat, it is a cone-like passageway starting from the skull and either traveling down to the esophagus (for the digestive system) or the larynx (for the respiratory system). The top region, called the nasopharynx, brings air into the larynx and contains adenoid tonsils. The region below that, the oropharynx, is involved in swallowing and includes the lingual and palatine tonsils (tonsils, also called Waldeyer’s ring, are soft lymphatic tissues that stop the spread of germs). Finally, the bottom region, the laryngeal pharynx continues into the esophagus. Circular muscles in the pharynx can contract sequentially, and longitudinal muscles widen the pharynx and elevate the larynx.