system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[LOTR] What was the land of Mordor like before Sauron, and what was it like after?

Was it a normal realm of men that was corrupted, similar to the effect Saruman and Isengaard had on the surrounding region? 

Once Sauron was defeated, did it eventually return to a place of grass and trees and regular civilisation?

Or was Mordor always a dark and desolate place?
gpt
The part of Mordor Frodo, Sam, and Gollum traveled through was called the Plateau of Gorgoroth. It was always dry and unpleasant there. South and east of that, however, were fertile plains that were natural farmland (volcanic soil is great for plants!) There's some indication that men and elves may have lived there at one point, and that they were Shelob's prey until they became more scarce. These regions continued to be the breadbasket of Sauron's armies after he came to rule over Mordor.