Final answer:
The hepatic flexure sits on the right side of the abdomen just below the liver, while the splenic flexure is located on the left side beneath the spleen.
Step-by-step explanation:
Upon entering the colon from the cecum, food residue first ascends the right side of the abdomen via the ascending colon. Here, it reaches the right colic flexure, also known as the hepatic flexure, due to its location being inferior to the liver. This bend in the colon marks the transition to the transverse colon.
After crossing from the right to the left side of the abdomen, the transverse colon angles sharply at the left colic flexure, also called the splenic flexure, located immediately inferior to the spleen, then continues into the descending colon down the left side of the abdomen.