It expands the distance and increases the depth of field. Greater depth-of-field can be an inherent characteristic of shorter focal lenses, otherwise called the wide angles. For some digital camera models, the widest end of the camera lens is the same as around 35mm (not terribly huge but nonetheless endowed with great depth-of-field).
The large viewpoint is supposedly a popular feature for landscape picture taking thanks to its potential to capture a larger expanse. While this holds true, it also can make distant objects look smaller, often defeating the goal of the image. However, here, other factors like how big the aperture is also come into play and have an impact on the depth of field.