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.
The Structure and Functions of the Arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that convey blood from the heart to the. tissues of the body. The arteries expand and then constrict with each beat of the heart, a. rhythmic movement that may be felt as the pulse. Arteries are usually. named from the part of the body that they are found, for example;