<P> The trachea , colloquially called the windpipe , is a cartilaginous tube that connects the pharynx and larynx to the lungs , allowing the passage of air , and so is present in almost all air - breathing animals with lungs . The trachea extends from the larynx and branches into the two primary bronchi . At the top of the trachea the cricoid cartilage attaches it to the larynx . This is the only complete ring , the others being incomplete rings of reinforcing cartilage . The trachealis muscle joins the ends of the rings and these are joined vertically by bands of fibrous connective tissue -- the annular ligaments of trachea . The epiglottis closes the opening to the larynx during swallowing . </P>
where is the windpipe located in the human body
connects the pharynx and larynx to the lungs