<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The geographical setting of the Book of Mormon is the set of locations of the events described in the Book of Mormon . There is no universal consensus among Mormon scholars regarding the placement of these locations in the known world, other than somewhere in the Americas . A popular "traditional" view among many Latter - day Saint faithful covers much of North and South America; while many Book of Mormon scholars, particularly in recent decades, believe the text itself favors a limited Mesoamerican or other limited setting for most of the Book of Mormon events . </P> <P> The largest of the churches embracing the Book of Mormon--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints (LDS Church)--has not endorsed an official position for the geographical setting the Book of Mormon, although some of its leaders have spoken of various possible locations over the years . There have also been multiple attempts to identify the several civilizations in the Book of Mormon, which are dated in the text as living from 2500 BC to 400 AD, but no consensus has ever been reached . </P> <P> According to Joseph Smith, an angel named Moroni told him "there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang ." According to Joseph Smith, Moroni explained that the coming forth of the Book of Mormon was to be concurrent with the fulfillment of ancient prophecies regarding the latter - day church of Christ . According to Latter Day Saint scripture, the narrative in the Book of Mormon came to an end in the ancient land Cumorah, where Moroni, in 421 AD deposited the golden plates prior to his death . Mormon and Moroni's Cumorah is claimed by many believers to be the same land containing the modern "Hill Cumorah" near Joseph Smith's home in Palmyra, western New York, from whence the gold plates of the Book of Mormon were retrieved . Others view the modern "Hill Cumorah" to be distinct from the original, and simply to have been named after it; thus adding no information to the question of the location of the lands described in the Book of Mormon . </P>

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