Migration
Chapter 3
Push and Pull Factors
Push factors are things that push people
away from their current place
 Pull factors are things that pull people to
new places
 E.G. Ravenstein’s theory outlines 11 laws
(rules) to geographic migration.
 The 11 laws can be divided into 3 main
reasons for migration (Economic, Cultural,
and Environmental)

Why People Migrate
Economic
Cultural
Environmental
•New job opportunities
•Valuable natural
resources
•Economic attractiveness
•Highest number of
migrants
•Forced migration-slavery
and political instability
•Boundaries create
forced international
migration
•Refugees
•2 largest groups of
refugees- Palestinians and
Afghans
•Freedom can be a pull
factor (Fall of
Communism)
•Physically attractive
places
•Pushed from hazardous
places
•Attractive environments
like mountains, sea sides,
warm climates
•Health conditions
•Pushed by adverse
physical conditions
•Too much water or too
little water
Intervening Obstacles




In the past, obstacles have been
transportation issues
Other physical obstacles like mountains and
water have hindered migration
Today’s migrants face obstacles not from
physical or transportation issues, but cannot
move due to lack of passports or legal
documentation.
All countries require some sort of legal
documents to allow you into their country
Distance of Migration Ravenstein’s Theory
International Migration
Internal Migration
•Permanent move to another country
•Very traumatic, done for extreme
conditions or reasons
•Voluntary migration – chosen to
migrate
•Forced migration- forced to move
due to fear and possible death
•Wilbur Zelinsky compared migration
patterns to the DTM and found
similar data (see chart handout)
•Stages of the DTM correspond with
migration patterns
•Permanent move within same
country
•Less traumatic move, therefore more
people migrate internally
•Interregional migration is moving to
another region within a country
•Intraregional migration is moving
within the same region within a
country
•Historically most moves have been
rural to urban migration
•But in recent years the trend has
reversed to urban to environmentally
attractive rural areas (Suburbs)
Characteristics of Migrants
Mostly male
 Adults
 Trend started to change in early 1990s
 Increasingly more women and children
are migrating
 Less educated
 Most are from rural areas in Mexico
 Most work in agriculture

Sources and Destinations of
Refugees
Migration Patterns
U.S. Immigration Patterns
 1st
era- Settlement of colonies and slave
trade
◦ 400,000 were slaves
 2nd
era- Europeans migrating to U.S.
◦ 40 million to U.S.
 3rd
era- Latin America and Asia
◦ 7 million (Asia) 13 million (Latin America)
◦ Immigration Reform and Control Act
Latin American and Asian Era
Current wave of migration
 China, Philippines, India and Vietnam
 Mexico, Dominican Republic, El Salvador
 1986 Immigration Reform and Control
Act gave documentation to illegal
immigrants that entered U.S.
 Reason for migration remains the same:
economic push/pull factors

Migration from Latin America to the U.S.
Fig. 3-6: Mexico has been the largest source of migrants to the U.S., but migrants
have also come from numerous other Latin American nations.
Impact of Migration to U.S.
Immigrants today are not entering a
growing country (frontier) but a highly
settled region where there is job
competition
 Cultural backgrounds travel with
immigrants which shape the country

◦ Christianity

Government and economic structure
and colonial conflicts
Undocumented Immigration


BCIS estimates that there are 7 million
illegals
Each year it grows by 350,000
◦ Expired visas or border crossers
It is illegal to hire an illegal immigrant
 Most of the time immigrants are deported
back to Mexico if caught…no penalties
 Texas, Florida, California and New York are
the destinations of most migrants

U.S. States as Immigrant Destinations
Fig. 3-8: California is the destination of about 25% of all U.S. immigrants; another
25% go to New York and New Jersey. Other important destinations
include Florida, Texas, and Illinois.
U.S. Quota Laws
Established in the 1920’s
 Set limits on legal migration
 Changed in 1965, 1978 to eventual global
quotas
 480,000 family (chain migration) 120,000
employment immigration
 Typically only skilled workers are granted
visas
 Brain Drain in countries where they
emigrated from

Temporary and Time Contract
Workers
Temporary workers are called guest workers
 Temporary workers typically are found in
Europe/M.E. and they are from poorer
countries like Africa, M.E. ,E. Europe and Asia
 Guest workers have some rights
 Time contract workers are used for a fixed
period of time then settle in new country
once job is completed
 Best example: Chinese building the U.S.
railroads

Economic Migrant or Refugee?
Cuba, Haiti and Vietnam
 Mariel boatlift
 Cubans were viewed as refugees because
Castro was an ally of the Soviet Union
 Coup created refugees in Haiti
 Communist North Vietnam
 Very important to distinguish status

Prejudice against migrants
Early European immigrants faced
prejudice
 CA voted to deny immigrants access to
public services
 Kuwait expelled Palestinian guest workers
 Fiji wanted only Fijians to control
government and Indians to run business
 Anti-immigration is attractive

Why do people migrate within a
country?
Interregional migration developed U.S.
frontier
 Population centers moved steadily west
 Interior-1830

◦ Low land prices, canals, steam powered boats

Great Plains-1880
◦ Farming improved, steel plows, well drilling

South- 1980
◦ Job opportunities, sunbelt
Migration between regions of a country
Interregional Migration
United States
Other Countries
•Changing center of population
•The center of population has
moved west as our country
became settled
•Transportation helped the interior
of the U.S. to be settled (think
Gold Rush)
•Agriculture technology helped the
Great Plains become settled
•Increase in job opportunities in
the South caused the growth as
well as the climate
•African American migration
•Russia
•Important to develop areas near raw
materials
•Kosomol policy was used to
encourage young students to work
•Brazil
•Moved capital to Brasilia to promote
interior development
•Indonesia
•Government program to encourage
development of islands and to move
people away from Java
•Europe
•Southern Italian moving to
Northern Italy for jobs
(Mezzogiorno)
Migration between countries

Russia
◦ Needed internal migration to develop industry
◦ Komsomol

Brazil
◦ Moved capital to Brasilia to promote movement

Indonesia
◦ Gives incentive to move to other islands

Europe
◦ Economic movement within country

India
◦ State of Assam
Migration within one region
Intraregional Migration

Rural-urban migration
◦ Most people live in cities today
◦ People moved to the city for jobs

Urban-suburban migration
◦ Current trend of intraregional migration
◦ Pulled by the lure of suburban lifestyle
◦ Better schools, less crime

Migration from metropolitan to nonmetropolitan
regions
◦ Counterurbanization
◦ People wanted to live in the country
◦ Increased transportation allows a city worker to live in
a rural area
Intraregional Migration in the U.S.
Fig. 3-14: Average annual migration among urban, suburban, and rural areas in the U.S.
during the 1990s. The largest flow was from central cities to suburbs.