What does HQ placement change in The Cure?

[Wendek]

Tutorial said nothing, just "Start in Canada" without any reasoning or explanation. In the normal game mode obviously the starting country influences your pathogen's starting stats (e.g. resistant to hot temperatures in Saudi Arabia) and the speed at which it will start developping (slower in richer countries).
But in The Cure, none of that seems linked to the HQ, so what does it actually do?

[QNTM]

+1

[mOSSSIRA]

If you have Strategic Fundraiser start in Greenland and close EU port. Strategic Fundraiser help Gain bonus income from HQ until it becomes infected.

[Wendek]

Okay but that's only for genes (or advisors or whatever's their name), so for someone who doesn't have any of those yet does it even do anything?

[Wendek]

Bump because I'd like to know how the mechanics work so I can create a plan in a *strategy game*

[Grif]

If you pick a central location the neighboring countries will be reached more easily by the automatic explorers. If you are too remote and don't use the field ops to explore then it can take a while until you find the disease.

[Skarekrow]

So... Investigations fan out starting where your HQ is?
I agree like one or two sentences in the pop up would have solved this confusion.