The Shape of the Earth

In the older days, sailors feared to venture far into the distant ocean because they thought the earth was as flat as a table. They thought that when they reached the edge of the earth, they would slip down and perish in the bottomless ocean. This is, of course, not true. From years of accumulated knowledge, experience and observations in different parts of the world, we know that earth is round. Its Spherical shape is an established fact, proved, and accepted by all. There has been so much research done on earth science that its various dimensions have been accurately found. It has an equatorial circumference of 24897 miles and its polar circumference is less by 83 miles. Its equatorial diameter is 7,926 miles and its polar diameter shorter by 26 miles. This simply shows that the earth is not a perfect sphere. It is a little flattened at both ends like orange. It can, in fact, be called a Geoid (earth-shaped). The spherical shape of the earth is also masked by the intervening highlands and oceans on its surface