Few Book of Mormon subjects have been more debated or more confusing than the extrapolation of geographic sites from the words of Mormon. Numerous books and papers have been written by great scholars—all coming to different conclusions. The author’s opinion is that the geography of the Book of Mormon is not that important. Sunday School classes should not waste their time on extensive discussions or heated debates. If Mormon wanted us to know the exact locations of cities, etc., he could have been more descriptive. As it is, we argue about the descriptions he has given us.
On the other hand, Alma 22 is the key to trying to understand the geography. Therefore, some brief consideration is reluctantly given to the subject. Many other theories are available but the following makes the most sense to the author and seems to be most consistent with the text of the Book of Mormon. This theory disregards recent tendencies to place the Nephites primarily in Central America largely because the text does not support it—even if that is where most of the ruins are.
The key to understanding this concept revolves around verse 27. The narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea east even to the sea west should not be interpreted to be the same thing as the small neck of land spoken of in verse 32. Things do not make any sense if these are equated. The narrow strip of wilderness divided the Nephites to the north from the Lamanites to the south. Hence Mormon’s comment, and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided. Mormon is saying that the king of the Lamanites sent the proclamation to all the regions which were separated from the land of Zarahemla (to the north) by the narrow strip of wilderness. Again, this does not mean that Zarahemla was in the land northward as is seen from the following passage, And it came to pass that their flocks began to flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla (Ether 9:31, see also Alma 63:4). This wilderness, which separated the Nephites and Lamanites, is spoken of in many locations: Omni 1:12-13, Mosiah 7:4; 8:7; 21:25; 23:1-3. This narrow strip could be traversed from north to south in only 21 days (Mosiah 23:3; 24:25). From east to west, it must have been quite long, but the text does not tell us the length.
With this explanation, the rest of the geography can be understood. We will go from north to south. First, the land of Desolation where the Jaredites lived was the farthest north. Its most southern extent was the Panamanian isthmus, it was only the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea (v. 32, see also Alma 50:34; 52:9; 63:5; Mormon 3:5). Many would disagree that verse 32 is describing the Panamanian isthmus but let’s assume that the interpretation is a simple one. According to this construct, the land immediately north of the Panamanian isthmus was called Desolation, and the land immediately south of the Panamanian isthmus was called Bountiful, And it came to pass that Hagoth, he being an exceedingly curious man, therefore he went forth and built him an exceedingly large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward (Alma 63:5). This places the land of Bountiful in modern day Colombia. South of Bountiful is the land of Zarahemla (see v. 29). South and west of the land of Zarahemla is the land of the Lamanites (the land of Ishmael, the land of Nephi, etc). Again, the land of Zarahemla and the Lamanites were both in the land southward and were separated by a wilderness (v. 22).
“During the days of Alma and General Moroni, Book of Mormon lands consisted of three sectors that could be considered Nephite, Lamanite, and former Jaredite. The depopulated Jaredite lands comprised the land northward; Nephite and Lamanite lands lay in the land southward. Nephite lands, known as the land of Zarahemla, were sandwiched between the ancient Jaredite lands to the north and the Lamanite land of Nephi to the south. A narrow neck of land divided the land northward and the land southward; thus, Book of Mormon lands were shaped like an hourglass (Fig. 1). The land southward was further divided into northern and southern sectors by a narrow strip of wilderness that ran from the east sea to the west sea. Nephites inhabited the lands north of this wilderness divide, and Lamanites controlled those to the south.” (FARMS: Review of Books, vol. 1, p. 23, F. Richard Hauck, Deciphering the Geography of the Book of Mormon, italics added)
President Anthony V. Ivins
“There is a great deal of talk about the geography of the Book of Mormon. Where was the land of Zarahemla? Where was the City of Zarahemla? and other geographic matters. It does not make any difference to us. There has never been anything yet set forth that definitely settles that question. So the Church says we are just waiting until we discover the truth. All kinds of theories have been advanced. I have talked with at least half a dozen men that have found the very place where the City of Zarahemla stood, and notwithstanding the fact that they profess to be Book of Mormon students, they vary a thousand miles apart in the places they have located. We do not offer any definite solution. As you study the Book of Mormon keep these things in mind and do not make definite statements concerning things that have not been proven in advance to be true.” (Conference Reports, Apr. 1929, p. 16)
Harold B. Lee
"Don’t be concerned over Book of Mormon geography. Some say the Hill Cumorah was in southern Mexico (and someone pushed it down still farther) and not in western New York. Well, if the Lord wanted us to know where it was or where Zarahemla was, He’d have given us latitude and longitude, don’t you think? And why bother our heads trying to discover with archaeological certainty the geographical locations of the cities of the Book of Mormon like Zarahemla?
“The witness of the Book of Mormon is not found in the ruins of Central and South America. They may be outward evidences of a people long since disappeared. The real witness is that which is found in the Book of Mormon itself.” (The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, p. 156)