Forced and Voluntary Migration

Vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts, historical examples, and definitions related to forced migration and displaced populations.

Forced migration

Migration that is involuntary, meaning migrants have no choice but to move, often due to natural disasters, war, political persecution, or ethnic and cultural problems.

African slave trade

The largest forced migration in history, occurring from the 15th through the 19th centuries, in which about 12.5 million Africans were captured, enslaved, and forcibly relocated to North America, the Caribbean, South America, and the Middle East.

Internally displaced persons (IDPs)

People who are forced to flee their homes due to political events, policies, or environmental crises that threaten their lives, but relocate to another part of the same country.

Refugees

People who are forced to flee life-threatening political events, policies, or environmental crises and cross international borders.

Syrian Civil War

A conflict starting in 2011 that forced about half of the country's population to flee, producing more than 6 million internally displaced persons and more than 4 million refugees.