How has the United States geography played a role in our country's development?

Geographically strategic areas are more heavily populated than others.

For instance, most major cities are located near a water source.

Doesn't it play a role in any country's development? Exploration and development follow rivers, with settlements/trading posts growing up there, especially where rivers come together. Cities tend to grow up along sheltered harbors. Mountains and deserts might deter a lot of habitation. Geography plays a role in how fertile the soil might be, and where people will want to settle to raise crops.