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what is pharynx
The pharynx is the part of the digestive system situated posterior to the nasal and oral cavities and posterior to the larynx. It is therefore divisible into nasal, oral, and laryngeal parts:  (1) nasopharynx, (2) oropharynx, and (3) laryngopharynx. The pharynx extends from the base of the skull down to the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage (around the C6 vertebral level), where it becomes continuous with the esophagus.The pharynx is the common channel for deglutition (swallowing) and respiration, and the food and air pathways cross each other in the pharynx.


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