AP HUG Unit 2.10

Migration

The movement of people from one place to another.

Emigration

Leaving a country.

Immigration

Entering a country.

Push factors

Negative conditions that motivate people to leave their home.

Pull factors

Positive characteristics of another place that attract migrants.

What is the most common reason people migrate?

Jobs and economic opportunity.

Why do push and pull factors usually occur together?

People usually leave because they are pushed out and pulled toward a better place at the same time.

Intervening obstacles

Challenges migrants face on the way to their destination.

Intervening opportunities

Opportunities encountered along the journey that may cause migrants to settle somewhere before reaching their original destination.

Why is distance an intervening obstacle?

Longer distances cost more time and money and make migration harder.

Why are immigration laws an intervening obstacle?

Destination countries can restrict who is allowed to enter.

Chinese Exclusion Act

A U.S. law that banned further Chinese immigration in the late 1800s.

How can migration happen in phases?

Migrants may move partway, stop somewhere else, and then continue later if they can.

Cultural push factor

Migration caused by religion, ethnicity, or cultural conflict.

Example of a cultural push factor

The Mormon migration to Utah.

Why did Mormons migrate to Utah?

They faced violence in earlier locations and wanted isolation and religious freedom.

Demographic push factor

Migration caused by population pressures such as rapid population growth.

Demographic pull factor

Migration caused by aging populations needing workers.

Economic push factor

Migration caused by lack of jobs or economic opportunity.

Economic pull factor

Migration caused by more jobs, better wages, or stronger economies elsewhere.

Why is work the top reason people migrate?

People move to improve their standard of living and find better employment.

Example of economic migration in China

Rural people moved to cities as farms became mechanized and required fewer workers.

Bracero Program

An agreement between Mexico and the U.S. during World War II that brought Mexican workers to fill labor shortages.

Environmental push factor

Migration caused by natural disasters or unpleasant climate conditions.

Example of an environmental push factor

Hurricane Katrina caused large-scale out-migration from New Orleans.

Environmental pull factor

Migration caused by a more desirable climate or environment in another place.

Example of an environmental pull factor

Sun Belt migration in the United States.

Why did many Americans move to the Sun Belt?

They wanted milder winters and found more jobs there.

Political push factor

Migration caused by oppression, dictatorship, or loss of freedoms.

Example of a political push factor

Venezuela under Hugo Chávez.

Another political push factor

War.

Example of war causing migration

The Syrian Civil War forced millions of people to flee.

What is the main idea behind push and pull factors?

People migrate because they are pushed away from one place and pulled toward another.

What is the main idea behind intervening obstacles?

Migration is not always direct because barriers can slow or block the journey.

What is the main idea behind intervening opportunities?

Migrants may settle somewhere earlier than planned if they find a good opportunity along the way.