What type of blood vessel carries blood away from the heart?

Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart are classified as arteries. This is a fundamental aspect of the circulatory system. Arteries are muscular and elastic, enabling them to handle the high pressure of blood being pumped from the heart. This pressure facilitates the distribution of oxygenated blood to various organs and tissues throughout the body. The primary artery in the human body is the aorta, which branches out into smaller arteries to supply blood to the entire system.

In contrast, veins carry blood back to the heart, and capillaries are the smallest blood vessels where exchange of gases, nutrients, and wastes occurs between blood and tissues. Venules are small vessels that collect blood from capillaries and take it to veins. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for grasping how the circulatory system functions.