An Approach to The Book of Mormon Geography

Characteristics of a Choice Land

We concluded that nearly all of the following characteristics should be present for an area to be considered as a choice land:

Cactus of Baja California, Mexico.
  • A great variety of plants and animals. Variety can be increased by altitude, latitude, and seasons and relative location to ocean and land environments. A choice environment should provide a variety of adequate food sources 12 months of the year.
  • A moderate annual temperature range. Not too hot and not too cold. A temperature range is required for some crops to grow and a temperature range can increase the variety of crops that can be grown—some grow best in cooler winters and some in hotter summers.
  • Two distinct seasons to provide contrasting growing environments. A dry summer and a wet winter are best — much, much better than a wet summer and a dry winter.
  • Proximity to rather high mountains to maximize the variety of plant and animal environments and produce conditions for rain and snow and catchment basins.
  • Access to a variety of surface and underground water sources: springs, rivers, aquifers, and oceans.
  • A coastal position to take advantage of the sea and coastal environments.
  • An abundance of fertile soil. The main determiner of soil fertility is climate, and the best soil occurs in climates where there is a environmental balance between precipitation and potential evaporation—this balance is only achieved within specific areas of moderate, mid-latitude humid and semi-arid climates.
  • An environment that allows irrigation. Many crops are best grown under controlled irrigation conditions.
  • A location with a substantial variety and abundance of minerals and other resources.

All of these environmental factors led us to Baja California as a potential location and setting for the Book of Mormon story. But how does one begin to support or confirm our impression that the Book of Mormon lands were actually located in that secluded corner of the world?
Updated: Tuesday, 13 July 2010
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Characteristics of a Choice Land