In 1999, the Zarahemla Research Foundation (RLDS) finished an exhaustive review of all known manuscripts and editions of the Book of Mormon in order to restore the text "to its purity." The result was the Restored Covenant Edition of the Book of Mormon. One of their "restorations" involves the geographical place name "Angola" (Mormon 2:4), which has been changed to read "Angolah." [Zarahemla Research Foundation, "Geography Concordance" in The Book of Mormon: Restored Covenant Edition, p. 999]
This must be considered tentative subject to the verification of Royal Skousen, director of the Book of Mormon manuscript project, who will not comment at this time relative to such changes. [Personal communication, 11/22/1999]
“The Land of Joshua Which Was in the Borders West by the Seashore”
After the Nephite armies were driven out of the land of David, they marched to the land of Joshua. Assuming a Mesoamerican setting, these "borders west by the seashore" (Mormon 2:6) might have been on the Pacific coastal plain. John Sorenson proposes this zone to be the land of Joshua. According to Sorenson, the Arriaga--Tonala coastal zone was heavily settled in those times. In Mormon 2:9 it says that at the land of Joshua, the 42,000 man Nephite army withstood the 44,000 man Lamanite army. This can possibly be explained geographically by the Nephites holding the two major passes over the mountains above Arriaga--Tonala (the land of Joshua), so that the enemy could not reach the Pacific coastal strip. [John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, pp. 338-340]
Mormon's army was successful in fortifying against the Lamanites here in the land of Joshua for about 14 years, whereas at the city of Angola and the land of David they could not hold. This not only suggests that the land of Joshua was probably in a more defensible position, but that this war was moving geographically quite slowly. [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes]
330 Years Had Passed Away Year 327 to Year 331 3plus Years of War
By the time "330 years had passed away" (Mormon 2:9), or in close to 3 years of war, the following happened:
(1) the Nephites fortified Angola;
(2) the Lamanites took Angola;
(3) the Lamanites took the land of David;
(4) the Nephites came to the land of Joshua;
(5) the Nephites tried to gather;
(6) there was revolution throughout all the face of the land; and
(7) the Nephites beat an army of 40,000 Lamanites.
These circumstances open up a number of questions regarding geography. Starting at somewhere along the possible southern border of the land of Zarahemla, how far towards the north countries did the Nephite armies go in 3 years, especially when "there was one complete revolution throughout all the face of the land?" Were all the Nephites everywhere in the general land of Zarahemla retreating towards the north countries? or just Moroni's army? There is no mention of traveling through the small neck of land, or through the land of Bountiful, or through the land of Desolation, all of which were apparently on the north of the land of Zarahemla (Alma 22:27-34). It must have taken at least some amount of time to "fortify the city of Angola with all their might" and to "gather" the people to Joshua, so to what distance could the Nephites ultimately retreat in the time alloted? [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes] [See Geographical Theory Maps]
Geographical [Theory Map]: Mormon 2:4-7 Nephites Driven from Angola, David--Gather to Joshua (327 A.S.--331 A.S.)