Sauron the Gene-maker

[Belegorn]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

The Second Age was never my strong suit, but if I remember correctly, Sauron has inhabited Mordor for quite a long time before he even began to mess with Numenor (and please correct me if I'm wrong). Do we know what Mordor looked like before Sauron took hold of it?

Check the chapter The Land of Shadow where Sam and Frodo escape Frodo's captivity. For instance at the bottom of a valley was "the bed of a now dry and withered stream" and "Mordor was a dying land, but not yet dead".