how does the earth behaves like a huge magnet ? please tell me meritnation experts. Ihave my test on this friday.

The Earth is a giant magnet, with a north magnetic pole and south magnetic pole like the two ends of a bar magnet. And like a bar magnet, the Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that interacts with electrically charged or magnetized matter, causing effects ranging from deflection of the solar wind to keeping a compass needle pointing north