Multiple choice

The Earth's shape is an oblate spheroid or _____.

  1. conical

  2. rhomboid

  3. pyramidal

  4. ellipsoid
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Earth is an oblate spheroid, meaning it's spherical but flattened at the poles and bulges at the equator. This shape results from Earth's rotation creating centrifugal force. An ellipsoid is the geometric term for this three-dimensional surface where all cross-sections are ellipses. Earth's equatorial diameter is about 43 km larger than its polar diameter.

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