32. Why are intestines important?
The intestines are an important part of our digestive system. It is a
tube of about nine meters that stretches from the stomach to the
anus.
A large part of the digestion takes place in the intestine where the
food is broken down into simple substances so that it can be easily
absorbed for the nourishment of the body.
The intestine is covered with sheets of muscles. These muscles
contract in waves to push the partly digested food along. This process
is called peristalsis. Nearly all the absorption of food takes place in
the small intestine also known as ileum.
The final part of the intestine is the wide colon, where the remaining
food materials are solidified into faeces and are stored temporarily to
be discharged out of the body.
