What is the Respiratory System?

The human respiratory system helps us to breathe. It is made up of four main parts:
Trachea (wind pipe)
Bronchi
Lungs
Diaphragm

Trachea
The trachea (Tray- kee- uh) is sometimes called the wind pipe. It is lined with mucus and cilia which carries the foreign substances to be swallowed up.
The trachea branches off into two main Bronchi, the left and the right.

Bronchi
The bronchi (BRON-kee) are two air tubes that carry air to the lungs. From each bronchus a series of branches begin called the Bronchioles.

Lungs
The Lungs are organs that allow your body to take in oxygen from the air. They also help remove carbon dioxide from the body. Breathing in is referred to as inhalation and breathing out is referred to as exhalation.

Diaphragm
This is the dome shaped muscles at the bottom of your lungs. When one inhales the diaphragm contracts. When it contracts, it flattens out and pulls downward, all in an effort to accommodate the lungs. However, when one exhales, the diaphragm expands reducing the amount of space for the lungs, hence, forcing air out.