Population Geography

Migration

Vocabulary
Migration - A permanent move to a

new location

Immigration - Migration from a

location

Emigration - Migration to a location

Questions
Why do people migrate?
How have social, economic,

political, and environmental

factors influenced migration?

Push and Pull Factors

People decide to migrate because

of push and pull factors. A push

factor induces people to leave a
location. A pull factor induces
people to move to a new location.

PUSH FACTORS

PULL FACTORS

RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION

FREEDOM (RELIGIOUS,
POLITICAL)

LACK OF JOBS
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
CONFLICT (WAR)
POLITICAL
PERSECUTION/LIMITS ON
FREEDOM
ENVIRONMENT

FORCED MIGRATION

FAMILY AND CULTURAL

TIES

Push Factor - Overpopulation

People often leave areas that are

heavily populated.

Push Factor - Religious

Persecution
When people cannot worship as

they wish they migrate. The

pilgrims that landed at Plymouth
were fleeing religious persecution.

Push Factor - Lack of Jobs

The vast majority of people

migrating from Latin America,

Africa, and Asia are migrating
because there are no jobs.

Net migration rates: Countries in blue have a positive

migration rate and countries in blue have a negative.

Push Factor - Agricultural

Decline
Agricultural decline means a

person cannot grow as much food

on the same amount of land as
they once could. Over time land
becomes less fertile and people
have to move.

Push Factor - Conflict

People flee from wars. These

people are known as refugees.

There are many refugee camps in
Africa due to a long history of civil
war in many countries.

Push Factor - Political

Persecution
Political persecution means that

people are punished when they

disagree with the government.
This happens most in dictatorships
or communist countries. People
have migrated from China and
Cuba because of political
persecution.

Push Factor - Natural Hazards

Droughts
Floods

Tsunamis
Earthquakes
Volcanoes

Push Factor - Limits on

Freedom
Communist countries often limit

personal freedom. People cannot

listen to certain music, watch
certain television shows, or even
say things bad about the
government.

Push Factor - Environmental

Degradation
Deforestation
Desertification - An expansion of

arid conditions into non-arid

regions. This is a problem in the
Sahel, a region near the Sahara
Desert in North Africa.

Click here to see desertification video from youtube.

Pull Factors
Religious Freedom
Economic Opportunity

Land Availability
Political Freedom
Ethnic and Family Ties
Arable Land

Impact of Immigration
Language
Religion and Religious Freedom

Customs/Traditions
Cultural Landscape