Do Now: Where did your ancestors come
from? Why did they come to America?
EUROPE
LATIN
AMERICA &
CARIBBEAN
ASIA
AFRICA
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On average, Americans move once every 6
years.
U.S. population is the most mobile in the world
with over 5 million moving from 1 state to
another every year.
35 million move within a state, county or
community each year.
Migration a key factor in the speed of diffusion
of ideas and innovation.
Our perception of distance and direction are
often distorted-thus a sizable percentage of
migrants return to their original home due to
these distorted perceptions.
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Migration: form of relocation
diffusion involving a permanent
move to a new location
Immigration: Migration to a new
location
Emigration: Migration from a
location
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Push Factors
Pull Factors
Emigration and immigration
Change in residence.
Relative to origin and
destination.
A person emigrates from a place and
Major International Migration Patterns, Early 1990s
immigrates to another place
Positive net migration: more people are immigrating than emigrating
Negative net migration: more people are emigrating than immigrating
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Forced Migration: migrants
have no choice; they must leave
Examples: African Slave Trade,
Trail of Tears, Creation of India
and Pakistan, Homelands in
South Africa during apartheid,
refugees, children of migrants
In 1838 and 1839, as part of Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy, the
Cherokee nation was forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and
to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee people called this
journey the "Trail of Tears," because of its devastating effects. The migrants faced
hunger, disease, and exhaustion on the forced march. Over 4,000 out of 15,000
of the Cherokees died.
West and East Pakistan
were carved out of areas
in India with Muslim
majorities. Upon
independence from Great
Britain in 1947, it was
decided that India would
divide into two countries in
an effort to resolve
conflicts between Hindus
and Muslims. India was
created for Hindus and
Pakistan for Muslims.
Mass migrations (about 15
million people) of each
religious group followed.
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Periodic movement: short
term (weeks or months)
Examples: college, Florida
for winter
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Cyclic movement: daily
movement
Examples: work, school,
shopping
Commuter train in Soweto,
South Africa
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Nomadism: cyclical,
yet irregular
migration that
follows the growth of
vegetation (huntergatherers)
Examples: Bushmen
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Transhumance: seasonal movement of livestock
Examples: pastoral farming (Mongolia, Central
and Southwest Asia, Africa)
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Voluntary Migration: migrants
make the decision to move
Examples: most migrations;
push/pull factors
1.
2.
Reasons for Migrating
Most people migrate for economic reasons
Cultural and environmental factors also induce
migration
 What
was distance decay?
 How do you think this affects the
distance that most migrants will
go?
As distance from a given location
increases, understanding of that location
decreases. People are more likely to
settle in a closer place where they have
more knowledge than a farther place
where they understand little.
3.
4.
Distance of Migration
Most migrants relocate a short distance
Migrants who move longer distances tend to
choose big-city destinations (major economic
activity)
5.
6.
Characteristics of Migrants
Most long distance migrants are male
Most long distance migrants are adult
individuals rather than families with children
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Unfavorable factors that
contribute to the
dissatisfaction of residents
and push their emigration
Examples: widespread unemployment, poverty,
discrimination, political unrest, war, famine and/or
drought, land shortage, overpopulation
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Favorable factors that
act as attractive
forces, pulling
migrants from other
places
Examples: employment opportunities; political and/or
personal freedoms (speech; religion, right to vote, etc.); land;
amenities (e.g. retirement)
 Important to note: Many people move based on excessively
positive images and expectations (not always accurate).
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A.
Economic
a. Push
1. Few job opportunities
2. Poverty
b. Pull
1. Available jobs
2. Valuable natural resources
3. New industries
North Sea Oil
B. Cultural/Political
Refugee: people who
a. Push
are forced to migrate
1. Slavery
and cannot return for
fear of persecution
2. Wars
3. Refugees
IDP: Internally
4. Political Instability Displaced Person
5. Dictatorship
b. Pull
1. Democracy
2. Education
3. Careers
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As of 2005:
◦ 33 million refugees
 12 million international refugees
 21 million internal refugees
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Largest Groups of
International
Refugees
1.Palestinians
2.Afghans
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Largest Groups of
Internal Refugees
1.Sudanese
2.Colombians
DIVISION
OF BERLIN
Berlin Wall - 1961
Restricted Emigration
C. Environmental
a. Push
1. Natural disaster
2. Water supply (too much or
too little e.g. floodplain or
drought)
b. Pull
1. Physically attractive
(mountains or seaside)
2. Warm climate
Changeover between desert and savanna
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/video/player?titleID=1437286183
Desertification
D. Intervening Obstacles
a. Environmental or cultural feature
that hinders migration
1. Physical obstacles (plains,
mountains, deserts)
2. Bodies of water
3. Passports/visas
E. Intervening Opportunity
a. Migrant settles in location that’s not
their original destination usually
because it’s closer
1. Economic opportunities
2. Environmental amenities
A. Internal Migration: permanent
movement within the same country
a. Interregional (between regions)
b. Intraregional (within regions)
B. International Migration: permanent
movement from one country to
another
a. Forced
b. Voluntary
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Theory created by geographer Wilbur Zelinsky
Examines migration patterns in each stage of
DTM
◦ Stage One: high daily or seasonal mobility
◦ Stage Two: international migration (high
unemployment/low development pushes people out
of country); intraregional migration (people leave
rural areas to look for jobs in cities)
◦ Stages Three/Four: destinations of people leaving
Stage Two countries; intraregional migration (people
leave cities for suburbs)
A. Gender
a. In U.S. 55% were males until 1990s
when it reversed and now 55% are
females
B. Family Status
a. More young adults than children or
elderly