Anatomical terminology and thumbs facing outwards. Just as maps are normally oriented with north at the top, the standard body "map," or anatomical position, is that of the body standing upright, with the feet at shoulder width and parallel, toes forward. The upper limbs are held out to each side, and the palms of the hands face forward. Using the standard anatomical position reduces confusion. It means that regardless of the position of a body, the position of structures within it can be described without ambiguity. In terms of anatomy, the body is divided into regions. In the front, the trunk is
Anatomical plane Anatomical plane An anatomical plane is a hypothetical plane used to transect the human body, in order to describe the location of structures or the direction of movements. In human and animal anatomy, three principal planes are used: There could be any number of sagittal planes; however, there is only one cardinal sagittal plane. The term "cardinal" refers to the one plane that divides the body into equal segments, with exactly one half of the body on either side of the cardinal plane. The term "cardinal plane" appears in some texts as the "principal plane". The terms are interchangeable. The