Types Of Migration People Who Migrate
Human Migration Guide (3-5)
What is Human Migration?
Migration (human) is the movement of people from one place in the
world to another. People can either choose to move ("voluntary
migration") or be forced to move ("involuntary migration").
Migrations have occurred throughout the past, beginning with the
movements of the first human groups from their origins in East Africa to
their current homes throughout the world.
Migration occurs in a variety of ways: Migration can occur between continents, within a
continent, or within a single country. Migration can even occur when people move out of the
city and into the country. The most important thing about migration to remember is that it
occurs when groups of people move for the same reason.
Types of Migration
Internal Migration: Moving to a new home within a state, country, or continent.
External Migration: Moving to a new home in a different state, country, or continent.
Emigration: Leaving one country to move to another (e.g., the Pilgrims emigrated from
England).
Immigration: Moving into a new country (e.g., the Pilgrims immigrated to America).
Return Migration: When groups of people move back to where they came from.
Seasonal Migration: When people move with each season (e.g., farm workers following crop
harvests or working in cities off-season).
Seasonal Migration: The process of moving for a period of time in response to labor or
climate conditions (e.g., farm workers following crop harvests or working in cities off-season;
"snowbirds" moving to the southern and southwestern United States during winter).
People Who Migrate
Emigrant: A person who is leaving a country to live in another.
Immigrant: A person who is entering a country from another to make a new home.
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Human Migration Guide (3-5)
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Refugee: A person who has moved to a new country because of a situation in their former
home (e.g., war).
Why Do People Migrate?
People move for many reasons. To decide, they think about what is good or bad about staying
or moving.
Push Factors: Leaving a place because of a problem (such as a food shortage, war, flood,
etc.).
Pull Factors: Moving to a place because of something good (such as nicer climate, better
food supply, etc.).
Laws of Migration
Geographer E.G. Ravenstein developed a series of migration 'laws' in the 1880s that still
make sense today. Here are a few:
• Most migrants travel only a short distance
• Migrants traveling long distances usually settle in cities
• Most migration is from the country to the city
• Most migrants are adults
Impacts of Migration
Cultural Markers: Like detectives, we can learn a lot about our past by looking at pieces of
evidence from the past. These pieces of evidence, or “cultural markers,” can be objects from
the past (pottery, arrowheads, treasures, etc.), maps, literature, music, and even people's
memories.
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Human Migration Guide (3-5)
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Migration Resources
U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/
Population Reference Bureau
http://www.prb.org/Content/NavigationMenu/PRB/Educators/Human_Population/Migration2/M
igration1.htm
Ancestry.com: Thirteen Reasons Our Ancestors Migrated
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=1436
Smithsonian Institution: Migrations in History
http://smithsonianeducation.org/migrations/start.html
Migration Information Source
http://www.migrationinformation.org/
UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency
http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home
International Organization for Migration
http://www.iom.int/
National Geographic Magazine: Changing America
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2001/09/01/html/ft_20010901.3.html
National Geographic: Xpeditions—Migration Station
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/hall/index.html?node=36
National Geographic: Geography Action!—Migration: The Human Journey
http://ngsednet.org/community/index.cfm?community_id=7
National Geographic: The Genographic Project
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html
www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions
© 2005 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.
