Structure of the Urinary System (Edexcel IGCSE Biology (Modular))

The Urinary System: Structure

• Two key functions of the urinary system are:

  • To filter waste products from the blood and expel it from the body as urine

  • To control the water levels of the body (osmoregulation)

• The urinary system consists of two kidneys (found at the back of the abdomen) joined to the bladder by two tubes called the ureters

• Another tube, the urethra, carries urine from the bladder to outside the body

• Each kidney is also connected to:

  • The renal artery which comes from the aorta and delivers oxygenated blood to the kidney

  • The renal vein which delivers the deoxygenated blood from the kidney to the vena cava

The urinary system in humans

Main structures of the urinary system table