Every flat map misrepresents the surface of the Earth in some way. On an equidistant map, distances are true only along particular lines such as those radiating from a single point selected as the center of the projection.
Shapes are more or less distorted on every equal-area map.
Sizes of areas are distorted on conformal maps even though shapes of small areas are shown correctly. The degree and kinds of distortion vary with the projection used in making a map of a particular area.