Migration

4. MIGRATION WHY DOES MIGRATION TAKE PLACE?

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Migration is the long-term movement of people from one place to another. The people who move are called migrants.

Emigration is the migration of people living their own country or region to live in a different area. The people who leave are called emigrants.

Immigration is the migration of people arriving at their new place of residence. These people are called immigrants.

Net migration rate (saldo migratorio) is the difference beween the number of emigrants and immigrants in a region over a period of time.

This is positive when more people arrive in a region than leave it. (prosperous countries).

This is negative when more people leave a region than arrive it (regions with economic problems).

Reasons for migrations: natural disasters, to escape from wars, political persecution.

Most people today do it for economic reasons.

4. MIGRATION INTERNAL MIGRATION -

Internal migration is the movement of a population from one region to another inside the same country.

Rural exodus is one of the most important types of internal migration. It occurs when people leave the countryside to go and live in cities: 1. In developed countries: - There was a rural exodus throughout the 19 th and 20 th centuries.

- Agriculture became mechanised and requied fewer workers.

- Cities grew in size and offered greater economic opportunities.

2. In developing countries: - Rural exodus has been a more recent process.

- Many Asian, African and Latin America cities expanded enormously in the second half of the 20 th.

- There have not been enough jobs, housing and transport services for new urban residents.

- Unemployment, poverty and unhealthy living conditions have become huge problems.

4. MIGRATION INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION - International migration is the movement of people from one country to another.

- There have been many different types of migration throughout history: 1.

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From Europe to America in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries.

These European emigrants left in search of better economic opportunities.

The Slave Trade was a forced migration. Africans were transported to America to work on agricultural plantations.

From the 19 th century onwards , large numbers of Chinese citizens went to live in other Asian countries and in American cities.

Today: -

Emigrants leave the less developed countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America to find work and improve their living conditions.

But qualified young people in developed countries also leave home when they cannot find a job in their own country.