Length of Blood Vessels in Human Body

There is no agreement among researches on the total length of blood vessels in human body. The results of their findings vary greatly. The present article will refresh and broaden your knowledge about the longest part of the cardiovascular system, i.e. the blood vessels. Other parts of this vital body system include the heart and the blood.

Here it is pertinent to talk about different types of blood vessels found in your body. The vessels carrying oxygenated blood include (from the largest to the smallest) the aorta, large arteries, main artery branches, terminal artery branches, arterioles, and capillaries. On the other hand, those containing deoxygenated blood are, from larger to smaller, vena cava, large veins, main venous branches, terminal venules, venules, and capillaries.

The capillaries – the smallest of all blood vessels in terms of their size and diameter – make direct contact with the cells and serve as the connecting link between the arteries and veins. Owing to their extremely thin walls – usually one-cell thick – the capillaries also facilitate the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the blood and individual cells. After collecting carbon dioxide from cells, the capillaries pass the blood on to the veins that combine to form large veins while traveling towards the heart.

While aorta is the largest artery, the inferior vena cava is the largest vein in your body. The inferior vena cava collects blood from the lower parts of the body. On the other hand, the superior vena cava collects deoxygenated blood from the upper parts, i.e. the head and the arms.

Total Length of Blood Vessels in Human Body:

Christopher Vasey in the book “The Water Prescription: For Health, Vitality, and Rejuvenation” reveals some mind-boggling facts about the total length of blood vessels in human body. For example, if all the arteries, veins, and capillaries in the human body are taken out and placed end to end, they would extend for the length of over 100,000 km!

The book further reveals that the total length of only the capillaries, if stretched out in a single line, would equal 40,000 km. If you know the circumference of the earth, which is about 40,000 km, the total length of all the blood vessels in the human body can circle around the earth more than two and a half times!

The data released by another book on the human body, titled “The Visual Guide to Understanding the Human Body” brings to light even more startling facts about the overall length of the blood vessels. It says that there is a vast network of blood vessels in the body which, if laid down end to end in a line, would stretch out for the total length of about 150,000 km.

If this is so, they can wrap the earth nearly four times!