Pharynx

The pharynx is an organ in the back of the throat. It is also the meeting point of the digestive and the respiratory systems. The opening of the respiratory system in the pharynx is called the glottis. It is guarded by a cartilagenous flap called the epiglottis which prevents food or liquid from going into the respiratory system. It closes during swallowing action. As such, it is part of the gastrointestinal system. It comes after the mouth and before the esophagus. Food and air go through the pharynx. The pharynx keeps food and liquids out of the lungs.

The 3 parts of the pharynx can be thought of as where 3 tubes (nose, mouth, windpipe) connect to it

The pharynx has 3 parts:

Nasopharynx - the upper part of the back of the throat, that leads up into the nose
Oropharynx - the part at the back of the throat
Laryngopharynx - the bottom part, before the windpipe and esophagus split from 1 into 2 tubes

Pharynx Media

Upper respiratory system, with the nasopharynx, oropharynx and laryngopharynx labeled at left
Details of torus tubarius
An illustration of the pharyngeal jaws of a moray eel
Everted pharynx of Alitta virens (also known as Nereis virens), lateral view
Pharynx of the flatworm Prorhynchus fontinalis
Pharynx of the flatworm Platydemus manokwari visible as the worm feeds on a snail.
Longitudinal section through the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans showing the position of the pharynx in the animal body.
Microscopic cross section through the pharynx of a larva from an unknown lamprey species.
Deep dissection of human larynx, pharynx and tongue seen from behind