<Tr> <Td> spongy urethra (or penile urethra) </Td> <Td> Runs along the length of the penis on its ventral (underneath) surface . It is about 15--16 cm in length, and travels through the corpus spongiosum . The ducts from the urethral gland (gland of Littre) enter here . The openings of the bulbourethral glands are also found here . Some textbooks will subdivide the spongy urethra into two parts, the bulbous and pendulous urethra . The urethral lumen runs effectively parallel to the penis, except at the narrowest point, the external urethral meatus, where it is vertical . This produces a spiral stream of urine and has the effect of cleaning the external urethral meatus . The lack of an equivalent mechanism in the female urethra partly explains why urinary tract infections occur so much more frequently in females . </Td> <Td> Pseudostratified columnar--proximally, Stratified squamous--distally </Td> </Tr> <P> There is inadequate data for the typical length of the male urethra; however, a study of 109 men showed an average length of 22.3 cm (SD = 2.4 cm), ranging from 15 cm to 29 cm . </P> <P> In the human female, the urethra is about 1.9 inches (4.8 cm) to 2 inches (5.1 cm) long and exits the body between the clitoris and the vagina, extending from the internal to the external urethral orifice . The meatus is located below the clitoris . It is placed behind the symphysis pubis, embedded in the anterior wall of the vagina, and its direction is obliquely downward and forward; it is slightly curved with the concavity directed forward . The proximal 2 / 3rds is lined by transitional epithelium cells while distal 1 / 3rd is lined by stratified squamous epithelium cells . </P> <P> The urethra consists of three coats: muscular, erectile, and mucous, the muscular layer being a continuation of that of the bladder . Between the superior and inferior fascia of the urogenital diaphragm, the female urethra is surrounded by the urethral sphincter . Somatic (conscious) innervation of the external urethral sphincter is supplied by the pudendal nerve . </P>

Where is the urethra located on a female