What is the true shape of the Earth? Is it round or oval?

Have you ever stopped for a moment to think about what the Earth's true shape is?

If we asked you about the true shape of the Earth, you would probably not hesitate to say that it is round, right?

After all, during our entire school years, we were all taught our entire lives that this was the shape of the planet we live on, right?

But what if we told you that this isn't quite true and that the shape of our planet might be a little different than you imagine?

That's what we're going to talk about in today's content! In this material, you'll explore our planet a little with us and we'll find out: after all, what is the true shape of the Earth? Is it really round or does it have a different shape than the one we imagine?

And before we start reading, I'll tell you in advance for the flat-earthers out there: no, our planet is not flat! 

The concept of the round Earth

Long before we were born, the entire planet had already, many years ago, reached a consensus that the Earth was a rounded celestial body.

But history was not always like this. Quite the opposite.

If you remember your history lessons, you will remember that many centuries ago – before any kind of study of the Earth was started and without any kind of equipment – the verdict was that the Earth was flat.

This is because, at that time, the only reference point for the planet that those societies had was their vision. In this, they only took into consideration as far as their eyes could see.

And, when they looked at the horizon and found a flat line, they imagined that the entire planet had that shape.

This type of reasoning gave rise to several legends and stories that populated the minds of those who lived at that time. 

One of the best known – and which is portrayed in history books – was that, because our planet is flat, it has a kind of 'edge' and that ships could fall into this edge if they got too close.

The importance of Aristotle in the discovery of the shape of the Earth

It was only over the years that new theories began to emerge. And the illustrious philosopher Aristotle played a fundamental role in this.

Through much observation of the sky and phenomena such as eclipses – Aristotle began to develop a theory that the Earth was not necessarily flat.

And he ended up reaching this conclusion through the always rounded shadow that the Earth projected onto the moon during these phenomena.

Over the years and with the improvement of a series of studies and research on the subject, the theory initiated by Aristotle developed and ended up becoming more accepted.

This meant that, for years and years, the teaching given in schools was that the Earth was indeed round.

But if we stop to analyze the data that science has today, we will realize that reality is not exactly like that!

What is the true shape of the Earth? Is it round or oval?

It is important to reach a consensus that, despite being a concept that has been taught for many years, when the subject is the true shape of the Earth, it can be said that the Earth has a shape that, generally speaking, is spherical.

But still, the planet is far from being truly round. And we'll explain why.

Firstly, it is important to clarify that it is practically impossible for there to be something in nature that has the exact shape of a completely perfect sphere. 

This type of formation can only be achieved through human action. Therefore, it is practically impossible – both here on our planet and in the universe itself – to find something that has a perfect shape.

Other aspects about the shape of the Earth

Other aspects about the true shape of the Earth

Furthermore, let's stop for a moment to analyze other aspects of our planet. 

As everyone knows, there are several differences – when it comes to the soil itself – around the globe.

And two of the differences that make the most difference when it comes to the shape of the Earth are the different altitudes and depths that exist on our planet.

We are talking from the top of the mountains to the bottom of the oceans.

For example: Mount Everest is considered the highest point on the planet and is just over 8 km above sea level. 

In the opposite direction, the deepest point in our ocean – known as the Mariana Trench – is in the Pacific Ocean and measures around 11 km.

It is these differences that prevent our planet from being considered round. 

Of course, when we observe planet Earth from space, such differences end up becoming insignificant, given their magnitude. 

And that's exactly what gives the impression that it's round. 

So, looking at it generally, the Earth may have a spherical shape, but it is far from being a perfect sphere. 

Therefore, if we were to classify our planet itself, we can say that the Earth is a geoid, which has an irregular surface.

In addition to these peculiarities, the Earth itself is also slightly flattened at the poles, which raised the theory that the true shape of the planet was oval, which is also not true.

Conclusion 

So, you already knew about all these peculiarities of Earth. 

The truth is that, despite having these irregularities in its structure, in general, it can be said that the Earth has a shape that is close to the shape we consider spherical – and as we mentioned in the text, such differences in altitude do not interfere in any way with the Earth seen from space.

But if we take into account the structure of the planet itself, it is far from being a perfect sphere. 

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