Migration Geography 9A

What is Migration? Migration is the movement of persons from one country or locality (place) to another A migrant is a person that moves from one place to another Emigration is migration from a location Immigration is migration to a location

What Geographers Study Geographers document FROM where people migrate and TO where they migrate. They also study reasons that people migrate

Push – Pull Factors People decide to migrate because of push factors and pull factors. A push factor induces people to move out of their present location A pull factor induces people to move into a new location.

Push - Pull Factors There are three major types of push- pull factors that cause people to migrate: Economic opportunity Cultural freedom Environmental comfort

Economic Opportunity Most people migrate for economic reasons They hope to become wealthier in a new place

Cultural Freedom Sometimes people move so that they can practice their culture and beliefs without being persecuted The Pilgrims migrated to America in search of religious freedom

Cultural Freedom Slavery Political instability Forced international migration has historically occurred for two main reasons: Slavery Political instability Refugees are people who have been forced to migrate from their home country and cannot return for fear of persecution.

Environmental Comfort People are pulled toward physically attractive regions and pushed from hazardous ones Migrants are also pushed from their homes by adverse physical conditions Water—either too much or too little—poses the most common environmental threat