“Book of Mormon writers commonly spoke of their land as being divided into four quarters (i.e., Mosiah 27:6; Alma 43:26; 52:10; 56:1; 58:30). They similarly thought of the earth as being divided into four quadrants (i.e., 1 Nephi 19:16; 22:25; 2 Nephi 10:8; 21:12; 3 Nephi 5:24; 5:26; 16:5; Ether 13:11). Accordingly, they described each area of their lands by reference to the cardinal directions, such as ‘the land northward’ and ‘the land southward.’ …
“Good evidence exists that ancient Americans divided their territorial lands into four quadrants for administrative purposes” (Welch et al., “Four Quarters,” 145).