POPULATION GEOGRAPHY

Human Migration

HUMAN BEINGS

MOVE

Migration

Defined as a long-term move of a person from one political jurisdiction to another. Immigration: the process of individuals

moving into a new country with the intention of remaining there.

Emigration: The process of moving out of a particular country, usually the individual person’s country of origin.

Immigration= INSIDE

Emigration= EXITING

Some Facts…

Today, more than 174 million people have moved outside the country in which they were born.

The number of migrants has more than doubled since 1975.

The United States attracts the most migrants of all countries in the world.

With increasing immigration from developing countries into developed countries, it becomes harder to predict future population growth.

Migration Stream

Pathway from a place of origin to a destination.

Net in-migration= more immigrants than emigrants.

Net out-migration= more emigrants than immigrants.

What does this tell you about an area’s desirability?

political issues economic factorsenvironmental issuescultural issuestransportation routes

What causes people to migrate?

Political Issues

Armed conflicts and policies of oppressive regimes. The pilgrims, who sailed on the Mayflower

to America Forced migration of Native Americans as

America expanded west…TRAIL OF TEARS (Indian Removal Act of 1830)

Economic Factors

Job opportunities, economic cycles of growth and recession, and cost of living.

Examples: European immigrants coming to America in

the early 19th century (later generations also moved)

Mid-1990s San Francisco (Before and After)

UNDERSTAND THAT:

Many countries are currently experiencing large rural to urban migrations as corporate farming and increased technology have reduced the number of agricultural laborers needed in rural areas.

Environmental Issues

Search for arable or fertile land Nomadic herders in Ethiopia, Sudan, and

Kenya Desertification

Fleeing the city Sierra Nevada range in California

Cultural Issues

Cause people to move to places where they feel more at home or where they were able to take advantage of certain institutions. Post-WWII relocation of many Jewish people

from Europe, the Americas, and elsewhere to Israel

Transportation Routes

Enable and entice people to migrate to new areas. 17th and 18th century- Better ships and

more reliable navigation systems made safe travel across the Atlantic a possibility

19th century- New stagecoach routes enabled many white settlers to move westward

20th century- Roads constructed by the Brazilian government encouraged thousands of people to leave Brazil’s densely populated southeastern coast.

push factorspull factors

Motivating Factors

Push Factors

Incentives for potential migrants to leave a place, such as: harsh climate economic recession political turmoil

Pull Factors

Attractions that draw migrants to a certain place, such as: pleasant climate employment educational

opportunities

Voluntary vs Involuntary Migration

Voluntary Migration

Movement of an individual who consciously and voluntarily decides to locate to a new area- the opposite of forced migration.

Chain migration: the migration event in which individuals follow the migration path of preceding friends or family members to an existing community. Familial Religious Ethnic Cultural

Involuntary Migration (Forced Migration)

The migration event in which individuals are forced to leave a country against their will. Between the 15th and 18th centuries- Slave

trade of the Colonial Period 1830-Trail of Tears

THE LARGEST FORCED

MIGRATION OCCURRED WITH THE

NORTH ATLANTIC

SLAVE TRADE, FORCING

NEARLY 30 MILLION

AFRICANS FROM THEIR

HOMES.

Refugees

People who leave their home because they are forced out, but not because they are being officially relocated or enslaved. International refugees= leave country Intranational refugees= leave home but

stay in country. Also referred to as internally displaced peoples.

Major regions of dislocation and refugees:

Sub-Saharan Africa Rwanda, Congo, Sudan etc.

Middle East Dislocation of Palestinians after the formation of the

Israel. Dislocation of Kurdish people from the former Iraq Afghanistan during/after Soviet occupation in the 1980s.

Europe Fall of Yugoslavia

Southeast Asia Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar

South Asia Pakistan, Sri Lanka