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Vaginal lining. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the lining of the vagina of a 35 year old woman. The lining is composed of a mucous membrane composed of stratified squamous epithelial cells. The boundaries between the cells are blue here. The vagina is the muscular tube between the cervix and the vulva. It serves as a passageway for receiving sperm and discharging menstrual flow, and expands greatly to allow the passage of a baby during childbirth. Magnification: x1000 at 6x7cm size. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/PROFESSORS P.M. MOTTA & S. MAKABE)