THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM.

THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM AND THE HEART.

• The circulatory system is composed of the heart and blood vessels, including arteries, veins and capillaries.
• The circulatory system moves blood through the heart and around our body.
• The blood gives our body the oxygen and nutrients it needs.
• Blood also carries waste and carbon dioxide that we need to eliminate from our body.
• Types of blood vessels:
  
  
  Arteries: carry blood and nutrients from the heart to all parts of our body.
  Veins: carry blood back to the heart  from the rest of our body.
  Capillaries: are very small vessels that connect our arteries and veins.
   

THE HEART.

Your heart is really a muscle. It's located a little to the left of the middle of your chest, and it's about the size of your fist.

                              

  

But the heart muscle is special because of what it does. The heart sends blood around your body. The blood provides your body with the oxygen and nutrients it needs.

It also carries away waste.

The right side of your heart receives blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side of the heart does the exact opposite: It receives blood from the lungs and pumps it out to the body.