Chapter Three Migration Introduction Humans have been migrating

Chapter Three Migration

Introduction • Humans have been migrating for 7000 years • The average US family moves once every 6 years • Migration is a permanent move to a new location • Geographers look at where people migrate to & from across the Earth’s space • Emigration is migrating from a location • Immigration is migration to a location

Introduction • Net migration is the difference between the number of immigrants & Emigrants – Net in-migration if # of immigrants exceeds the # of emigrants (positive net migration) – Net out-migration if # of emigrants exceeds the # of immigrants (negative net migration) • Mobility all types of movement from one place to another • Circulation short term, repetitive, or cyclical movements that recur on a regular basis EX: daily, monthly, or annually • Migration is a form of relocation diffusion

Key Issue #1: Why Do People Migrate? I. Reasons for Migration • People migrate in search of 3 objectives: – Economic Opportunity – Cultural Freedom – Environmental Comfort

Key Issue #1: Why Do People Migrate? • Push Factor induces people to move out of their present location • Pull Factor induces people to move to a new location • Three major push & pull factors are: – Economic, – Cultural – Environmental

Key Issue #1: Why Do People Migrate? • Economic Push & Pull Factors – Job opportunities – Valuable natural resources – The US attracts immigrants for economic prosperity • Cultural Push & Pull Factors – Two main forced cultural migration: – Slavery – Political Instability – refugees are people who have been forced to migrate due to race, religion, nationality, social group, or political opinion

Key Issue #1: Why Do People Migrate? • Environmental Push & Pull Factors – Pulled to physically attractive regions – Pulled from hazardous regions – Floodplain area subject to flooding during a specific number of years

Key Issue #1: Why Do People Migrate? • Intervening Obstacles – Intervening obstacles an environmental or cultural feature that hinders migration – Mostly environmental obstacles in the past – Transportation such as railroads, planes, & cars have – You must have a passport to emigrate from & legally immigrant to a new country

Key Issue #1: Why Do People Migrate? II. Distance Migration • International migration is the permanent move from one country to another – Voluntary Migration – Forced Migration – Migration Transition – International migration usually happens in Stage 2 of Demographic transition – Internal migration happens in Stages 3 & 4 Ex Cities to suburbs

Key Issue #1: Why Do People Migrate? – Internal migration is permanent movement within the same country – Interregional migration movement from one region to another – Intraregional migration movement within one region

Key Issue #1: Why Do People Migrate? • III. Characteristics of Migrants • Gender of Migrants – In the past males migrated more than females, but today the opposite is true • Family Status of Migrants – Mostly young adults – Child immigrants are starting to increase

Key Issue #2: Where are migrants distributed? • Global Migration Patterns • Asia, Latin America, & Africa have net outmigration • North America, Oceana, & Europe have net-in migration • Three largest flows migrants are to: – Europe from Asia – N. America from Latin America & Asia • LDCs to MDCs usually for job prospects

Key Issue #2: Where are migrants distributed? • US Immigration Pattern • Third most populous country in the world • Colonial Immigration from England to Africa – Mostly from Europe (voluntary) & Africa (forced) – 90% of immigrants before 1840 were British – About 2 million migrated from Europe & 750, 000 from Africa as slaves

Key Issue #2: Where are migrants distributed? • Nineteenth-Century Immigration from Europe – About 40 million migrants from Europe – Most came from Germany, Italy, UK, Ireland, & Russia – First Peak • • 1840’s & 1850’s Immigration went from 20, 000/year to 250, 000/year 95% from Northern & Western Europe Economic push factors

Key Issue #2: Where are migrants distributed? – Second Peak • Declined in 1860’s due to Civil War • Reached it’s second peak in 1880’s • Northern & Western Europeans still dominated immigrants • Diffusion of the Industrial Revolution • Most came seeking farmland or jobs

Key Issue #2: Where are migrants distributed? – Third Peak • Early 1900’s • Most still came from Europe, but most came from Southern & Eastern Europe

Key Issue #2: Where are migrants distributed? • Recent Immigration from Less Developed Regions – Immigration from Asia • Mostly from China, Philippines, India, & Vietnam • Has steadily increased since the 1960’s

Key Issue #2: Where are migrants distributed? – Immigration from Latin America • Steadily grown from 1960’s • Today we see 400, 00+ coming Latin America • 1986 Immigration Reform & Control act gave visas to several hundreds of thousands of immigrants who entered the US without legal documentation • People from these countries are in Stage 2 and looking for economic opportunity

Key Issue #2: Where are migrants distributed? • Impact of Immigration on the US – Legacy of European Migration • Massive European Immigration ended with WWI • Rapid pop. growth in Europe fueled emigration • Since most European countries are in Stage 4 they can accommodate the needs of their people and migration to US is no longer needed

Key Issue #2: Where are migrants distributed? – Undocumented Immigration • Unauthorized immigrants • An estimated 12 million people are here illegally • Most are from Latin America & Mexico – Destination of Immigrants w/in the US • Half of immigrants are clustered in California, Florida, New York, & Texas • Proximity is a major factor in migration • Chain migration the migration of people to a specific location due to relatives or members of the same nationality have previously migrated there.

Key Issue #3: Why Do Migrants Face Obstacles? I. Immigration policies of host countries • The US allows immigrants to stay permanently & be guest workers • Other countries will allow workers to work only temporarily & not stay • US Quota Laws – Quota maximum limits on the number of people who could immigrate into the country during a 1 -year period – 2% of the national born persons in the US could immigrate – done to ensure mostly Europeans were immigrants – Quota Act in 1921

Key Issue #3: Why Do Migrants Face Obstacles? • US Quota Laws – National Origins Act in 1924 – Immigration Act of 1965 – eliminated quotas based on individual countries & implemented hemisphere quotas – 1978, hemisphere quotas were replaced by global quotas – ¾ are admitted to unify families • ¼ are admitted on visas

Key Issue #3: Why Do Migrants Face Obstacles? • US Quota Laws – Average waiting time to legally gain entry to US is 5 years – Quotas don’t apply to refugees – Brain drain large scaled emigration by talented people EX doctors, researchers, etc…

Key Issue #3: Why Do Migrants Face Obstacles? • Temporary Migration for Work – Guest workers citizens of poor countries who obtain jobs in Western Europe & the Middle East – Guest workers usually take on low-status & lowskilled jobs that local residents won’t do – Although they receive little pay in the standards of the country they work in, they are paid much more than they would be in their own country – Guest workers help their native countries by sending home money & lowering the unemployment rate

Key Issue #3: Why Do Migrants Face Obstacles? • Time-Contract Workers – People who are recruited for a fixed period to work in mines or on plantations in the 19 th century – mostly Asians – Many would permanently settle in the new country once their contract expired – Many illegal immigrants in Asian countries who will work for less pay

Key Issue #3: Why Do Migrants Face Obstacles? • Distinguishing Between Economic Migrants & Refugees – Economic migrants are generally not admitted to countries unless they have special skills or have a close relative already living there – Refugees receive special priority in admission to other countries – Emigrants from Cuba • Regarded as political refugees since the Communist government of Fidel Castro took power • Trade embargo placed on Cuba

Key Issue #3: Why Do Migrants Face Obstacles? – Emigrants from Haiti • wanted to leave due to the dictatorship of Francois Duvalier & his son – they were not an ally of the Soviet Union so the US government considered people fleeing economic migrants • Some Haitians fled to Guantanamo Bay naval base & then seeked refugee status – Emigrants from Vietnam • Some considered refugees & some considered economic migrants

Key Issue #3: Why Do Migrants Face Obstacles? II. Cultural Problems Faced While Living in Other Countries • Citizens of most host countries do not like immigrants due to cultural differences • US Attitudes toward Immigrants – German & Irish immigrants suffered prejudice – Southern & Eastern Europeans also faced prejudice as they were viewed as racially inferior and prone to violent crime – Some citizens of California & other states have voted to deny undocumented immigrants public services such as schools, day care, & health clinics – this is much debated in the US

Key Issue #3: Why Do Migrants Face Obstacles? • Attitude towards guest workers – Usually young males – Usually isolated – Temporary situation – Many Western Europeans do not like guest workers – Some countries, such as the Middle East, fear guest workers will spark political unrest & the abandonment of Islamic customs – Anti-immigrant politicians say that if immigrants were thrown out then unemployment rates would drop & if they were cut off from public programs then taxes would drop

Key Issue #4: Why do people migrate within a country? I. Migration Between Regions of a Country • Migration between people within the United States • Changing Center of Population – Every time the census is done the population center is computed – Population center is the average location of everyone in a country

Key Issue #4: Why do people migrate within a country? • Early Settlement in the interior – Population moved an average of 4 miles per year – Began after 1790 and by 1830 the population center moved west of Moorefield, WV – Transportation improvements helped people move to the interior (building of canals & power steam boats) – 1880 population center moved west of Cincinnati, OH – 1840’s the Gold Rush began and people moved west to CA

Key Issue #4: Why do people migrate within a country? • Settlement of the Great Plains – Population moved an average of 6 miles per year – Between 1880 -1950 movement to the west slowed – Between 1950 -1980 the population center moved to the west of the Mississippi River

Key Issue #4: Why do people migrate within a country? • Recent Growth of the South – Movement to the South began in the late twentieth century – People have migrated to the South due to jobs, environmental comfort, • Net migration for all regions of the US is now close to zero

Key Issue #4: Why do people migrate within a country? Migration Between Regions of other countries • Russia – Soviet government forced people to move to far north to work – In later years the government stopped using force, then started using incentives to get people to move voluntarily • Brazil – Most Brazilians live in major cities near the Atlantic coast & the tropical interior is sparsely inhabited – To encourage movement to the interior, the government moved the capital from Rio to Brasilia

Key Issue #4: Why do people migrate within a country? • Indonesia – The government has paid people to move from the island of Java to less populated islands • Europe – Regions with the highest immigration are in areas that have the highest per capita income – People migrate due to unemployment & jobs • India – Indians must have a permit to migrate or even visit the State of Assam

Key Issue #4: Why do people migrate within a country? II. Migration Within One Region • More people move within the same region rather than to another region • Migration from Rural to Urban Areas – Urbanization began in the 1800’s in Europe & N. America – Due to rapid industrial development – Today more than ¾ of the US population & other MDC’s live in urban areas – LDC’s have started to see a migration of people to urban areas – Most people now move to urban areas seeking economic advancement

Key Issue #4: Why do people migrate within a country? • Migration from Urban to Suburban Areas – Happens in MDC’s – Most Americans move to the suburbs for the suburban lifestyle – larger homes, yards, garages, better schools, safer areas, etc…

Key Issue #4: Why do people migrate within a country? • Migration from Metropolitan Areas to Nonmetropolitan Areas – MDC’s are starting to see counterurbanization or net migration from urban to rural areas – People wanting to live in small cities & rural communitites – Communication & transportation systems allow people to not be isolated in rural areas – Many retired people are moving to rural areas for leisure activities