The Gulf of Mexico covers a surface area of 579,153 sq miles (1.5 million sq km), and is measured 994 miles (1,600 km) west to east, and 559 miles (900 km) north to south.
After travelling from the aorta, blood travels through peripheral arteries into smaller arteries called arterioles, and eventually to capillaries. Arterioles help in regulating blood pressure by the variable contraction of the smooth muscle of their walls, and deliver blood to the capillaries.
  Blood vessels could be divided into three types based on their basic functions: arteries, capillaries, and veins.   Arteries (and their smaller branches known as arte â¦ rioles) are responsible for carrying blood from the heart out to the tissues.