Theme 1 - 1.2 - Migration Flashcards
Define migration.
The movement of people across a specified boundary, national or international, to establish a new permanent place of residence.
Define push factors.
Negative conditions at the point of origin which encourage or force people to move.
Define pull factors.
Positive conditions at the point of destination, which encourage people to migrate.
Define refugees.
People forced to flee their homes due to human or environmental factors and who cross an international border into another country.
Define internally displaced people.
People who are forced to flee their homes due to human or environmental factors who remain in the same country.
Define rural-to-urban migration.
The movement of significant numbers of people from the countryside to towns and cities.
Define remittances.
Money sent back by migrants to their families in their home communities.
Name some push factors of a place.
- Natural disasters
- Adverse climate
- Poor employment / Low income
- Housing shortages / Poor living conditions
- Intolerance
- Sudden social change
- Crime / Violence
- Poor services and education
Name some pull factors of a place.
- Attractive environment
- Better employment / High income
- Improved housing / Good living conditions
- Tolerance
- Political stability
- Safety
- Good services and education
What is voluntary migration?
When the individual has free choice about whether to migrate or not.
What is involuntary migration?
When an individual has to move against their will.
Give some reasons why involuntary migration might happen.
- Discrimination
- War
- Natural disasters
Give some examples of involuntary migration.
- Forcible movement of people from Yugoslavia as part of “ethnic cleansing”
- Mass migration from Ethiopia during times of famine
- Migration from Rwanda to Tanzania during the Tutsi-Hutu genocide
Give an example of a war which has produced both refugees and internally displaced people.
The Syrian conflict.
What is the difference between a refugee and an internally displaced person?
A refugee is someone who has crossed international frontiers while fleeing, whereas an internally displaced person is someone who has moved within their own country.
Give some examples of internal displacement of people.
- Syrian conflict
* Pakistan floods
How many people were forcibly displaced in 2012?
42.5 million (including 15.4 million refugees)
What is the difference between emigration and immigration?
Immigration is migration INTO a country, whereas emigration is migration OUT of a country.
How many people in the world live outside their country of birth?
About 213 million
What are the trends associated with migration?
Migration is increasing. It doubled in the 25 years from 1985 to 2010.
Give some reasons for the increase in migration.
- Globalisation -> People more aware of opportunities abroad
* Better and cheaper transport and communication
What is happening at a higher level, internal migration or international migration?
Internal migration
In what direction does most internal migration happen and why?
From poorer regions to richer regions -> People seek employment and higher standards of living
In less developed countries, from which regions to which regions does internal migration occur?
Rural to urban
When did developed countries have high rural-to-urban migration?
19th century and early 20th century
When did less developed countries have high rural-to-urban migration?
Since the 1950s
Give some examples of cities recently affected by rural-to-urban migration.
- Cairo
- Nairobi
- Dhaka
Where is/was the largest ever rural-to-urban migration and why is it happening?
- China
- 150 million people
- Moving to satisfy the demand for workers in factories
Describe the trends relating to redistribution of population in developed countries.
- Urbanisation -> From late 18th century to 1970
* Counterurbanisation -> From 1970 to present
What is urbanisation?
An increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas compared to rural areas.
What is the by-product of urbanisation?
Depopulation of rural areas
What is depopulation?
An absolute decline in the population of an area, usually due to a high level of out-migration.
What is counterurbanisation?
The process of population decentralisation as people move from large urban areas to smaller urban settlements and rural areas.
Why do people move migrate from urban to rural areas?
Generally to seek a better quality of life by getting away from the problems of large cities.
What are some rural push factors (in rural-to-urban migration)?
- Lack of employment -> Due to mechanisation
- Pressure on land (e.g. small division per son)
- Some families don’t own any land
- Starvation -> Crop failure, etc.
- Limited agricultural produce due to soil erosion, etc.
- Extreme physical conditions -> Mountains, heat, etc.
- Farming is strenuous with little pay
- Local communities may be forced to move (e.g. Amazon Ameridians)
- Lack of services
- Lack of government investment
What are some urban pull factors (in rural-to-urban migration)?
- Better paid jobs
- Better housing and quality of life
- Better services and education
- People attracted to “bright lights”
- More reliable food sources
Are immigration and emigration the same as in-migration and out-migration?
No
• Immigration and emigration are used for movement across international borders
• In-migration and out-migration are used for movements within a country
What are some positive impacts of international migration on the country of origin?
- Remittances -> Source of income
- Less unemployment and underemployment
- Reduced pressure on health and education services and on housing
- Return migrants bring new skills, ideas and money back into community
What are some negative impacts of international migration on the country of origin?
- Loss of young adults who have skills -> E.g. doctors, teachers, engineers, etc.
- Ageing population due to young people leaving
- Agricultural output suffers -> Lack of labour force
- Returning migrants may question traditional values, causing divisions
What are some positive impacts of international migration on the country of destination?
- Increase in pool of labour -> Reduced cost of labour for businesses + reduced inflation
- Migrants may bring important skills
- Increased cultural diversity -> Enriching
- Reduced rate of ageing population due to young migrants arriving
What are some negative impacts of international migration on the country of destination?
- Migrants may be perceived as taking jobs from long-established populations
- Increased pressure on housing, education and healthcare
- Change in ethnic balance can cause tension
- Negative Impact of large population on environment
What are some positive impacts of international migration on the migrants themselves?
- Higher wages
- Wider choice of jobs
- Opportunity to develop new skills
- Can support family through remittances
- Sometimes learn a new language
What are some negative impacts of international migration on the migrants themselves?
- Financial cost of migration
- Separation from family and friends
- Problems settling into new culture (assimilation)
- Migrants can be exploited by unfair employers
- Some migration journeys are dangerous
What was the total amount of remittances sent back to developing countries in 2012?
400 billion dollars
How do remittances help developing countries?
The money flows into:
• Alleviating poverty
• Spurring investment and creating a multiplier effect
Which places are the largest sources of remittances in the world?
- USA
- Western Europe
- Persian Gulf
Which places are the top recipients of remittances in the world?
- India
- China
- The Philippines
- Mexico
