In describing the areas which the Nephites established in the east wilderness, Mormon makes the statement, "they called the name of the city, or the land, Nephihah" (Alma 50:14). The word "city" might here be used as the equivalent of "land." Possibly the same thinking applies to "city" of Aaron and the "city" of Moroni, also mentioned here. If these areas were all related to military defense, the expanse of territory officially under their control could have been substantial, while not heavily populated. [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes]
“The Land Nephihah”
According to the geographical theory of John Sorenson, the city of Nephihah (Alma 50:14), founded at the same time as the city of Moroni, is plausibly one of a cluster of sites of Late Preclassic date located by Sisson a few miles west of the Rio Seco frontier. The "plains" near Nephihah (Alma 62:18) would be part of the Chontalpa's extensive, anciently uncultivable, savanna grasslands. (Bernal Diaz described one of the earliest Spanish battles on the mainland just a little east of here. Thousands of native warriors waited to fight them on such a "plain" and this proved ideal terrain for the Spanish horses to maneuver. [John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, pp. 247-248]
Alma 50:14 Nephihah (Illustration): John Sorenson's proposed site for the city of Nephi (one of a cluster of sites a few miles west of the Rio Seco frontier. Part of the Chontalpa region.). Archaeological Map of Middle America: Land of the Feathered Serpent. Produced by the Cartographic Division , National Geographic Society, 1972.
Alma 50:14 The City or [Land of Nephihah] (20th Year)