And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (1Nephi 3:7)
In the book of Mormon, the Lord tells Lehi many times that his children will be blessed and prosper in the promised land if they keep the commandments.
The promised land, therefore, had to have an environment that could support a people who lived the Law of Moses. It had to have the climate to sustain a large population of sheep and goats. It had to have a growing environment that permitted the maturation of barley in the springtime. These climate/land features were essential to the performance of the festivals commanded in the Law of Moses.
Jerusalem is nearly 32 degrees north latitude. Interestingly enough, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee are North American states that fall along this same latitude. Seeds are very sensitive to their environment, but the similar latitude ensures that Jerusalem seeds would grow in North America.
Many people speculate that the Nephite lands were in Central America. However, the North American continent has indigenous sheep and goats. It shares the same latitude as Jerusalem. Barley, and essential Law of Moses crop, dies in the tropics but grows well in North America.
The North American continent is a good match for the Nephite promised land.
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