### Arteries and veins

##### Move your mouse over the play button to see how they work

The tubes that carry blood around the body can be loosely divided up into arteries and veins.

Arteries (shown in red) are the tubes that take blood away from the heart. They tend to be quite large, at least a few millimetres in diameter.

Veins (shown in blue) are the tubes that carry the blood back to the heart. These are usually narrower than the arteries.

The animation shows the whole system of blood throughout the body. The heart is at the centre, pumping the blood all the way around.