The land of Desolation was a significant geographical Nephite territory located in the far north, delineated by the land Bountiful to the south and stretching northward to an unspecified boundary. The land was known for its desolate state due to the prior destruction of the Jaredite civilization that had once occupied the area. Limhi’s exploratory group stumbled upon this region and found it littered with remnants of the previous inhabitants, including bones and the ruins of buildings, evidence of the catastrophic end that befell the Jaredite nation (Mosiah 8:8; Ether 11:6).
Defined by natural landmarks, including a narrow neck of land, and situated near the east and west seas, the territory of Desolation was narrow enough to be traversed by a Nephite in a day and a half’s journey from sea to sea (Alma 22:32). It was near the land of Moron where the Jaredite kings once reigned (Ether 7:6). This land became the site of significant Nephite activities in subsequent years, including the construction of the city Desolation which lay close to the narrow passage leading into the southern lands (Mormon 3:5-7).
Over the centuries, the land of Desolation became a strategic military region due to its position relative to the rest of the Nephite territories. It witnessed substantial conflict, especially during the terminal phase of Nephite-Lamanite wars, wherein the city and land of Desolation changed hands multiple times amidst fierce battles (Mormon 4:1-3, 8, 13, 19). In the latter years of the Nephite record, Mormon, a Nephite general and later abridger of the Book of Mormon, gathered his people in this area to fortify against the Lamanites’ attacks and reflected sorrowfully on the severe wickedness and bloodshed that had engulfed the children of Lehi during this dark time (Mormon 3:5; Mormon 4:10-12).