Migration



|Migration |

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another either permanently or temporarily. The reasons why people migrate can be economic, social, political or environmental, and there are usually both push factors and pull factors at work.

Migration impacts both on the place left behind, and on the place where migrants settle.

What is migration?

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another.

There are many different types of migration.

• Internal migration is when people migrate within the same country or region - for example, moving from London to Plymouth.

• International migration is when people migrate from one country to another - for example, moving from Mexico to the USA.

There are two key migration terms that you need to learn:

• Emigration is when someone leaves a country.

• Immigration is when someone enters a country.

Why do people migrate?

People migrate for many different reasons. These reasons can be classified as either economic, social, political or environmental:

• Economic migration may involve moving to find work or follow a particular career path.

• Social migration may involve moving somewhere for a better quality of life or to be closer to family or friends.

• If someone is a political migrant they may be moving to escape political persecution or war.

• Environmental causes of migration include natural disasters such as flooding.

Some people choose to migrate, eg someone who moves to another country to enhance their career opportunities. Some people are forced to migrate, eg someone who moves away from their home region due to war or famine.

Often those who are forced to migrate become refugees. A refugee is someone who has left their home and does not have a new home to go to. Often refugees do not carry many possessions with them and do not have a clear idea of where they may finally settle.

Push and pull factors are often used to explain why people migrate:

• Push factors are the reasons why people leave an area, ie what pushes them away from their home. Push factors include:

lack of services,

lack of safety,

high crime,

crop failure,

drought,

flooding,

poverty and war.

• Pull factors are the reasons why people move to a particular area, ie what pulls them to a new place. Pull factors include:

higher employment,

more wealth,

better services,

good climate,

safer, less crime,

political stability,

more fertile land,

lower risk from natural hazards.

Migration usually happens as a result of a combination of these factors.

Global population growth

At present, the world's population is growing fast - though this has not always been the case.

• Until the 1800s the world's population grew steadily but slowly for thousands of years.

• In 1820 the world's population reached one billion.

• 150 years later, in the early 1970s, the world's population reached three billion.

• In 1999, less than 30 years later, the population doubled to six billion.

• The global rate of population growth is now very fast (rising by about one billion every 15 years).

Causes and rates of change

The population of any place changes over time. There are three main causes of population change:

• Births - usually measured using the birth rate (number of live births per 1000 of the population)

• Deaths - usually measured using the death rate (number of deaths per 1000 of the population)

• Migration - the movement of people in and out of an area

Rate of change

Births and deaths are natural causes of population change. The difference between the birth rate and the death rate of a country or place is called the natural increase, and you calculate the natural increase by subtracting the death rate per 1000 population from the birth rate per 1000 population:

natural increase = birth rate - death rate.

The rate of natural increase or growth rate of a population is given as a percentage, calculated by dividing the natural increase by 10.

If for example the birth rate / 1000 pop = 14, and the death rate / 1000 pop = 8, then

growth rate = 14 - 8 = 6 / 1000, or 0.6%

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