The Influences of Human Migration Section 2 Chapter 3

Migration: The Movement of People Humans have always been on the move. When they move from one place to another, it is called migration. Immigrants are people who leave one country and move to another.

For centuries, hundreds of thousands of people have migrated to the United States. Since the late 1970’s more than 700,000 people migrated from Vietnam to USA, 800,000 from Central America, 900,000 from Caribbean islands.

“Push-Pull Theory” Demographers use the “push-pull” theory to explain immigration. It says that people migrate because certain things “push” them to leave. Often the reasons are economic, war, or actions by a government. PUSH -Reasons that drive people to leave their country. PULL -Reasons that pull or attract people to live in a new country.

The World Becomes More Urban One of the biggest challenges to today’s nations is people migrating to cities from farms and small villages. The movement of people to cities and the growth of cities is called urbanization.

What pushes people from rural areas and pulls them to cities? Rural areas: villages in the countryside. In 1978, about 4.5 million people lived in the capital of Jakarta in Indonesia. Today over 10 million people live there. In South America, too, vast number of people are moving from rural to urban areas. Sao Paulo, Brazil is now the largest city in South America. –1995: 16 million people –2015: 21 million people

Most people are seeking a better life for their families. –They are looking for jobs, decent houses, and good schools. Above all, most want more opportunities for their children.