The greatest justification for seeking after the geography of the Book of Mormon is not to prove the Book of Mormon correct and true, the Holy Ghost does that. The greatest justification to finding the geography of the Book of Mormon is to bring it to life. Without an understanding of one's physical environment, much of the story and understanding of the minds of the real people is lost. How meaningful is it to walk where once Jesus walked? If not literally visiting the Holy Land, to be able to study it in depth in its natural setting? Much is added by having a physical setting to events of a history of a people. For example, what would be lost to our understanding of Moses' 40 year march through the Sinai if we did not know of its location today and its physical attributes?
I would like to give one simple example from the pages of the Book of Mormon how knowing the geography of the land helps in bring life to the pages of the Book of Mormon. It is from the military years of Captain Moroni. In Captain Moroni's efforts to protect the national land of the Nephites from the Lamanites, and to guard against them obtaining their way into the land northward, Captain Moroni had the Nephites build and populate a number of defensive cities. There was Nephihah, Moroni, Lehi, Morianton, Omner, Gid, Mulek, and Bountiful* on the east running all the way up the east coast to the narrow neck of land in the north. And then there was from Manti, Zeezoram, Cumeni, Antiparah, the City by the Seashore, and Judea on the south and west coast.
Alma 56:31 And we were to march near the city of Antiparah, as if we were going to the city beyond, in the borders by the seashore.
Now the City by the Seashore was the only Nephite defensive city on the West Coast and it was 'in the borders' of the Nephite land by the boarders of the Lamanite land, as far south on the West Coast as possible. It was only one city to guard against the Lamanites running right up along the West Coast line and on into the land northward by way of the narrow pass on the west by the sea. That is, if we assume that, that was the soul purpose of the city. Quite the tenuous type of defense of the entire West Coast when compared to seven cites along the East Coast. Or could there be more to the story by understanding the physical nature of the West Coast? And here in lies the value of having a geography of the Book of Mormon.
I suppose you have heard of the Florida Everglades? And I suppose as well you have seen movies, documentaries, and even read and studied a bit about that land area on the southern seacoast of Florida. Well imagine such a land all the way along the West Coast of the nation of the Nephites, Zarahemla. Would that not present a natural geographic barrier to an invading army? What army would attempt to invade America by landing on the tip of southern Florida and first marching their way through the Florida Everglades? This would be a real reason why Captain Moroni built only one defensive city on the far south, West Coast in the borders by the Lamanite lands. And it would mean that it really was not defending the West Coast access route at all, because the West Coast route to the narrow neck was inaccessible. It was impassible. It was impenetrable. All along the western coast of Colombia is a virtual maze of mangrove swamps, murky little streamlets, and marshes, a virtual everglades all along the western coastline.
So now life and understanding begins. Moroni's purpose of building a remote, single city outpost far south on the Lamanite boarders by the seashore was not to defend the west coast. If it were, the Lamanites would have made it one of their military priorities in order to obtain the sea coast route to the land northward. This is what they did on the East Coast by capturing every defensive city all the way up that coast even until Bountiful only stood in their way. So now we know why the Lamanites didn't even attempt to capture and secure the City by the Seashore. They basically ignored it. It did not stand in their way. It was not militarily significant to their cause and purpose as the western coastline was inaccessible anyway.
But why did Captain Moroni even bother having it built if it provided no real military defense? Was it just to use up the military spending budget or to have a nice seaside resort for the military? Why did Captain Moroni build a city that really defended nothing? Did he make a military mistake by doing so? Was it just because he wanted to mark the boundary of the Nephite land on the West Coast? Maybe, but I think there is more to learn here about Captain Moroni and the military genius that he was. Remember this is Captain Moroni that prepared, trained, and armed his men well. He did the same in building defensive barriers about the cities for defensive advantage. This is the Captain Moroni who would use military stratagem to obtain his objectives. He was cleaver and when one studies what he did in a military sense, one begins to appreciate just how smart of a military man he was.
So what was the City by the Seashore in the west used for? Moroni would want to keep the Lamanite confrontation to as limited a battlefront as possible. Remember, his forces where greatly out numbered by the numerous hosts of the Lamanite and Zoramite armies. So how could having a non-strategic city to the Lamanite cause be of strategic significance to the Nephites? Remember the Gulf War with Iraq. The obvious move there was to move against what was not defended, and out flank them. As long as there was a City by the Seashore as a defensive city there, the Lamanites could not increase the battlefront in a flanking maneuver on the west. They could only confront the Nephites on the south. Now the Lamanite Military didn't even think about out flanking the smaller Nephite military thus spreading their defenses thin. This was because the West Coast was guarded by the City by the Seashore, and it was not a significant military object in order for the Lamanites to achieve their design of gaining access to the land northward. But it was definitely of a military significance to Captain Moroni, and he knew exactly why he had the city built and placed there. He was not going to leave his west flank unguarded and give the Lamanites even the opportunity to consider out flanking him on the west. That is military strategy. That is Captain Moroni. And he comes to life, there is more color to the story, as I learn what a military genius Moroni was. And I have come to understand this by understanding the geography of the Book of Mormon.
* (Note: The fact that Bountiful was one of the defensive cities and not established prior to Captain Moroni's defense of the land is another story. And though that gives additional life and understanding to the scriptures by understanding the land, it is not the topic here and will be discussed and presented elsewhere in the pages of my presentation of the geography of the Book of Mormon.)