The real shape of the earth Strictly speaking, the earth is not perfectly round. It is slightly flattened at the poles and has a bulge(an outward swelling )at the equator( an imaginary line around the earth exactly halfway between the poles In recent years, scientists have learned that there is another very small bulge at the North Pole. They say, therefore, that the earth is somewhat pear-shaped• The Real Shape of the Earth • Strictly speaking, the earth is not perfectly round. It is slightly flattened at the poles and has a bulge (an outward swelling) at the equator ( an imaginary line around the earth exactly halfway between the poles). In recent years, scientists have learned that there is another very small bulge at the North Pole. They say, therefore, that the earth is somewhat pear-shaped