The world is round. It’s important to remember because this fact shapes everything around us. If the world weren’t round, our roads, cities, and businesses would all be built-in weird ways and everything at the same angle on a flat surface.
Just think about where we’re all used to looking when we drive. If the world were flat, we’d all have to change our perspective. This article explores what would happen if the earth were flat and what the world would look like.
The Earth Would Be Nearly Square
If the Earth were flat, it would be almost perfectly square. The Equator would be a straight line, and the poles would be nearly square. The North Pole would be in the exact center, with the Equator passing through the center of both Equator and North Pole.
The poles would be nearly square because, as we’ve seen, the Earth is shaped like a sphere. The Earth bulges out at the equator and flattens out towards the poles. The Earth would be the same size, but it would be shaped very differently. It would look like a square with rounded edges.
The Equator Would Be A Straight Line
The Equator would be a straight line. The Earth is round because of the rotation around and near the equator. The constant rotation and the pull of gravity in one direction make it what it is. If the Earth were flat, the equator would be a straight line.
It would have some significant consequences. If the Equator were a straight line, it would mean that the Earth would be almost the same size as it is now. No country would be very much bigger than it is now. The whole world would be smaller than it is now.
You Wouldn’t Need A Compass
When explorers went to find new lands, they needed to know where they were going. They used a compass to navigate and find their way. A map might tell explorers where they are, but they wouldn’t be able to tell where they are on Earth.
Without a compass, explorers wouldn’t have been able to find their way to new lands and explore the world. It’s also important because we use air, water, and land. If you’re sailing the ocean or in a plane, the compass is how you know which way is up. It’s how you know where you are, where you’re going, and how to get back home again.
There’s nothing magical about a compass; it’s just a perfect way to measure the direction in which you’re rotating around something. If you didn’t have a compass, you would still be able to tell which way is north if you looked at the stars. There are just a few things that would be different if the Earth was flat. The Earth would be almost the same size to have a lot of space.
There Wouldn’t Be Many Mountains
Mountains are formed from the same tectonic plates that create the oceans and volcanoes. Mountains result from the Earth’s crust bending under the pull of gravity. If the Earth were flat, there wouldn’t be many mountains. There would be more flat land, but there wouldn’t be many mountains. If the Earth were flat as a pancake, it would be tough to get into the mountains. The same goes for the bottom of the Earth; it would be very flat.
If the Earth were flat, then we wouldn’t have any mountains. When we look up at the sky, we don’t see the curve of the Earth. We see the flatness of the skydome. When we look at the ground, we don’t see the curve of the Earth either. We see the flatness of the ground. Put these two things together, and we have a flat surface. If we can’t make mountains on a flat surface, we can’t have mountains around one either.
The Tropic Of Cancer Would Be A Straight Line
The Tropic of Cancer is the point on the Earth’s orbit where the plane of the ecliptic and the plane of the equator cross each other. You can think of the ecliptic as the Sun’s path orbits the Earth.
If the Earth were flat, the Tropic of Cancer would be a straight line. It means that the Earth would be more tilted than it is now, and the longest day would be at the summer solstice when the Sun would be at its highest point in the sky.
The Consequences on the Poles
The Earth is tilted, and the sun shines on one side and not the other because that is the side that is tilted towards our planet. The Earth’s poles would be very nearly square, with the North Pole being in the exact center of the Earth. The Earth would have almost no seasons, so that the seasons would be much shorter.
The same thing happens in space, so there would be no seasons without the poles. Without the poles, there wouldn’t be many mountains because there wouldn’t be much to bend under the pull of gravity. The Earth’s crust would be much flatter.
The Earth Would Be A Horizontal Surface
If the Earth were flat, we would all live on a horizontal surface. A horizontal Earth sounds weird, but it isn’t that far-fetched. Loads of other planets in our solar system are also all-round, and scientists believe this is because the formation of the Earth took a long time.
So, if the Earth was flat, we could all live on a horizontal surface. Sure, there might be weird effects like our seasons changing, but the Earth would essentially be the same as another planet.
Helicopters Would Be More Useful
If the world were flat, people would have to get a helicopter to move around. Technically, this isn’t that far-fetched. If you’ve ever flown somewhere, you know you have to go up and down. Helicopters are designed to fly in a straight line, which means you have to take a lot of short journeys. You’d fly in a straight line in a round world and back where you started. Helicopters are designed to fly in a straight line, so they’re so helpful.
To See The Horizon, You’d Have To Fly For 24 Hours
If the Earth were flat, we’d have to fly to see the horizon. We only see about 60 miles (100km) below us when we’re on a plane. Even though the Earth is round, there are still dangers in flying. Planes are designed to fly straight and level so we can avoid the dangers of flying. Flying for 24 hours straight might be a little extreme, but it is possible to fly for a few hours without taking a nap.
You Could Walk On The Edge Of The Earth
Think about this for a second. You can walk on a beach, but the water stops a certain distance away. That’s because water is flat. The beach stops at the water’s edge because the ground is flat. The Earth is round, so walking on the edge is possible, but it’s odd. If the Earth was flat, you could walk on the edge of the Earth. If you were on the edge of the Earth, you could walk on its edge. You could also walk on the edge of the Earth, but the world would be completely flat.
What Would Happen to the Earth’s Rotation?
It wouldn’t rotate at all. Because the Earth is round, it would have to spin on its axis to stay upright. But if the Earth were flat, there would be no force pushing the Northern hemisphere to spin, and the Southern hemisphere would be sitting still! That would mean the weather would be completely different around the world.
The Sun would rise in the East and set in the West in the Northern hemisphere, while the Sun would rise in the South and set in the North at the equator. The weather would also be completely different; it would be sunny and hot in the Southern hemisphere and rainy and cold in the Northern hemisphere. People would also have to think about clothes and haircuts more than now. If the Earth were flat, everyone would have to wear clothes designed for the Northern Hemisphere, and their haircuts would have to be different from the Southern Hemisphere.
What Would Happen to Gravity?
Without the Earth’s rotation, the atmosphere would be less dense, and there would be less gravity holding us to the planet. It means we would weigh less and be able to float off into space. It’s also possible that some of us could get carried away by the Earth’s rotation and be thrown off into space.
Luckily, we have gravity to help keep us grounded and ensure we don’t float away. If the Earth were flat, our gravity would be feeble. Walking up walls or riding on trains might be possible without falling off! We’d also have to think about using our bodies to move around. Our planet is round, and we’re used to using our legs, feet, and arms to move around. If the Earth was flat, we might have to use our whole bodies to move around.
What Would Happen to Our Weather?
Our weather patterns are caused by the Earth rotating and the wind coming in from the East and West. If the Earth were flat, there would be no rotation to cause winds and no East or West to have them come from. The Earth’s rotation is what drives the jet stream and weather patterns.
If the Earth didn’t rotate, it would be like the jet stream was just a straight line! Right now, the Earth spins at about 1,000 miles per hour. If the Earth were flat, the weather patterns would move slower. That means there would be fewer storms or calms and no bad weather.
Conclusion
The Earth is round, and it would look a lot different if it were flat. There would be few mountains, but the Earth’s poles would be nearly square. The equator would be a straight line with few mountains, and the Tropic of Cancer would be a straight line.
