What is the actual shape of the earth? Why is it shaped that way?

Earth shape:

1. Since time immemorial, the form of the Earth has been a source of contention. There was a period when the world was thought to be flat. After centuries of research, we currently know that the Earth isn't really flat, but rather an oblate spheroid.
2. It is nearly flat at the poles and round at the sides. It is somewhat elliptical although generally round. That is how it transforms into an oblate spheroid. This form is also known as a geoid.
3. The rotation of the earth affects its form. The Earth's revolution about its axis causes it to bugle in the center, at the equator. As a result, it is more bulged in the center with flat poles, and thus its form.

Therefore, the shape of the earth is a geoid or round sphere.