A real depiction of the sizes and positions of continents is given by looking at a globe. However, flat maps of the world or continents are much more convenient to use. Unfortunately, making a flat map of a curved surface (the world) is not possible without introducing distortions. The following video illustrates this problem and talks about how the problem has been handled historically and for different uses. (Complements of: Shannon Jordan)
https://www.facebook.com/Vox/videos/875095636011373/