For those with access to Google Earth, you can now easily explore Book of Mormon geography with satellite views that have never before been so readily available. You will need to have a newer computer with access to broadband Internet and download the Google Earth program from the Google web site. To view selected locations of my proposed geography, zoom into the coordinates listed for each of the sites and you will be shown an actual or simulated view of the specific area. These satellite shots are usually several years old, but that is of no consequence when studying Book of Mormon geography. Unfortunately, most of Costa Rica and Central America is not available in high resolution, but you will still be able to get a good view down to about the square kilometer scale. The coordinates are given as follows: Latitude (parallel to the equator) followed by longitude (vertical from pole to pole); the first number is degrees, the second minutes, and the third seconds. The easiest way to find these locations is to cut and paste the combined coordinates for each site into the search box in the upper left corner of the Google Earth page, click go, and you will be taken directly to the location. You could also type in the numbers manually if you wish. If done manually, they should be typed in just as listed below. Google Earth will zoom in to the exact spot, at the highest resolution possible, so you will probably want to back out a bit to get a better view. You can also use the angle feature to see a 360 degree side view of the topography of the specific area. You are also able to exagerate the topography x2, or x3, which gives a greater definition of the area. In addition, the program also shows the elevation of the spot under the pointer which is another tool for evaluating the topography. Most of these locations are only approximate (within a kilometer or so) so the exact coordinates may vary, but should be close enough for evaluation purposes.
For purposes of comparison, I have also included coordinates of sites in Mexico and Guatemala which have been proposed by John Sorenson in his theory on Book of Mormon geography, as well as selected other sites which have been suggested as possible Book of Mormon locations.
Open Sorenson's Tehuantepec tour.
Open Hauck's Tehuantepec tour.
Open Priddis' South American tour.
Open comparison of narrow necks tour.
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| Selected locations from other theories
Narrow Neck between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie |
43 02 22 N 79 19 46 W |
| Palmyra and hill Cumorah region (see if you can locate the hill Cumorah) | 43 03 44 N 77 13 18 W |
| Isthmus of Panama | 09 07 44 N 79 46 50 W |
| Narrow Neck according to So. America theory assuming Amazon basin was flooded | 12 07 34 N 75 33 44 W |
| Lehi landing in Chile 30 degrees south latitude | 30 00 00 S 71 19 50 W |