Now below that is the trachea and on both sides of our windpipe. So this entire region is called the windpipe because it actually carries our air into and out of our body. On both sides of the windpipe, we have our blood vessels. We have the veins known as our internal jugular veins and we also have our arteries known as our common carotid artery. We have the right one and we have the left one. So essentially what the thyroid gland is, it's an endocrine gland that produces hormones that is located on the front portion of the windpipe and it also extends slightly towards the back.