• Arteries and veins are part of the human body's elaborate circulatory system, carrying blood throughout the body.blue blood image by Terrapanthera from Fotolia.com
  
  Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart. You can feel your pulse when arteries expand and contract to push blood through the body with each beat of your heart. Veins are blood vessels that return deoxygenated blood, except for the pulmonary vein that carries oxygenated blood, to the heart from other areas of the body. The walls of both arteries and veins consist of three layers, but the walls of veins are thinner and collapse when empty.
  
  

Aorta

• The aorta is the main arterial trunk in the human body. Arising out of the left ventricle of the heart, the aorta courses through the trunk of the body and branches into the smaller arteries that pump blood throughout the entire body.
  
  

Pulmonary Artery and Veins

• The pulmonary artery carries blood low on oxygen from the heart to the lungs, where the blood picks up more oxygen and is then carried back to the heart by the pulmonary veins.
  
  

Subclavian and Brachial Arteries

• The subclavian and brachial arteries provide the blood supply to the arms and shoulder areas of the body. The brachial artery travels through the upper portion of the arm until it reaches the elbow where it branches out into smaller arteries.
  
  

Carotid Artery

• The carotid artery supplies blood from the heart to the head and neck. It is commonly used to take someone's pulse. It branches out from the aorta and travels upward on the sides of the neck and into the head.
  
  

Coronary Arteries and Veins

• The coronary arteries branch out from the aorta and provide the blood supply for the heart. The coronary veins return blood to the right atrium of the heart that is low in oxygen but high in carbon dioxide.
  
  

Iliac and Femoral Arteries

• The iliac arteries stem from the aorta and pump blood through the abdomen and down to the femoral arteries of the legs. The internal iliac artery provides blood to the pelvic and gluteal regions, while the external iliac artery travels downward toward the legs and becomes the femoral artery.
  
  

Inferior Vena Cava

• The inferior vena cava is the system of veins that return blood from the lower portion of the body. The iliac veins from the legs, the hepatic veins from the liver, and renal veins from the kidneys combine to form the inferior vena cava.
  
  

Superior Vena Cava

• The subclavian and jugular veins combine to make the superior vena cava. The subclavian veins carry blood from the arms to the heart, while the jugular veins carry the blood away from the neck and head.