<P> The spinal cord is a long , thin , tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column . The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system ( CNS ) . In humans , the spinal cord begins at the occipital bone where it passes through the foramen magnum , and meets and enters the spinal canal at the beginning of the cervical vertebrae . The spinal cord extends down to between the first and second lumbar vertebrae where it ends . The enclosing bony vertebral column protects the relatively shorter spinal cord . It is around 45 cm ( 18 in ) in men and around 43 cm ( 17 in ) long in women . Also , the spinal cord has a varying width , ranging from 13 mm ( ⁄ in ) thick in the cervical and lumbar regions to 6.4 mm ( ⁄ in ) thick in the thoracic area . </P>
where does the spinal cord begin and where does it end
from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column