Equatorial bulge
The Earth is like a giant ball that's spinning around in space. And you know how when you spin around, your arms and legs stick out to the sides? Well, the Earth is kind of like that too.
But instead of arms and legs, the Earth has water and land that stick out on its sides. This is called the equatorial bulge. It means that the Earth is a bit wider around the equator than it is from pole to pole.
This happens because of the way the Earth spins. The spinning motion causes things on the surface of the Earth to move outwards from the center. It's sort of like when you spin a toy top - the top gets wider around the middle as it spins faster.
So, even though the Earth is mostly round, it's a little bit wider at the equator. This is why it looks a little bit squished when you see pictures of it.
But instead of arms and legs, the Earth has water and land that stick out on its sides. This is called the equatorial bulge. It means that the Earth is a bit wider around the equator than it is from pole to pole.
This happens because of the way the Earth spins. The spinning motion causes things on the surface of the Earth to move outwards from the center. It's sort of like when you spin a toy top - the top gets wider around the middle as it spins faster.
So, even though the Earth is mostly round, it's a little bit wider at the equator. This is why it looks a little bit squished when you see pictures of it.