Shape of earth: Explore comprehensive notes on

Explore comprehensive notes on SHAPE & SIZE OF THE EARTH () For UPSC Civil Services Examination (General Studies) Preparation. Get essential insights and detailed explanations, key concepts, and practice exercises to strengthen your grasp on this crucial topic. Its actual shape is best described as an oblate spheroid – a sphere that is flattened at its poles and bulging at the equator due to the centrifugal force created by the planet’s rotation. While the oblate spheroid is a useful approximation, the most accurate depiction of Earth’s shape is the geoid. It is the regular geometric shape that most nearly approximates the shape of the Earth. A spheroid describing the figure of the Earth or other celestial body is called a reference ellipsoid. Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all of Earth's water is contained in its global ocean, covering 70.8% of Earth's crust. The remaining 29.2% of Earth's crust is land, most of which is located in the form of continental landmasses within Earth's land hemisphere. Most of Earth's land is at least somewhat humid and ...