GLOBAL, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL MIGRATION FLOWS

WHERE DO PEOPLE MIGRATE?

GLOBAL MIGRATION FLOWS

• Prior to the 1500s, global-scale migration was haphazard• A complete map of the world’s continents did not exist

until the early 1800s

• European explorers played a major role in mapping the world

• European colonization began during this time

COLONIZATION

• A physical process where the colonizer takes over another place, putting its own government in charge

• First Europeans colonized the Americas, the coasts of Africa, and parts of Asia

• Eventually Europeans colonized the interiors of Africa and Asia

MAJOR ROUTES OF MIGRATION BEFORE 1950

EIGHT WAVES OF MIGRATION

1. Movement from Europe to North America2. Southern Europe to South and Central America3. Britain and Ireland to Africa and Australia4. Africa to the Americas5. India to eastern Africa, SE Asia, and Carribean6. China to SE Asia7. Eastern US to Central and Western US8. Eastern Europe to Central and East Asia

REGIONAL MIGRATION FLOWS

REGIONAL MIGRATION FLOWS

• Each of the eight major migration flows involved crossing an ocean or continent

• Migration also occurs at a regional scale, with migrants going to a neighboring country

• Reasons for regional migration:• Short-term economic opportunities• Reconnect with cultural group• Flee political conflict or war

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

• European colonialism helped establish islands of development• Coastal cities whose

establishment is based on access to trade

• Most foreign investment, jobs, and major infrastructure is located here

• Ex: Chinese in SE Asia

RECONNECTION OF CULTURAL GROUPS

• Regional migration flows also center on reconnecting cultural groups across borders• Example: Jewish

immigration to Israel

CONFLICT AND WAR

• Regional migration flows may occur as people flee their countries due to political turmoil or war• Example: East Germans fleeing to West Germany prior to

the Berlin Wall• Example: Cuban refugees fleeing to the US to escape a

communist government (considered refugees)

NATIONAL MIGRATION FLOWS

NATIONAL MIGRATION

• Migration within a country; also called internal migration

• Two waves of migration in the United States:• The first wave of migration moved the population

westward during the age of Manifest Destiny• The second wave moved the population from the

industrialized north to the south for economic opportunities

• Is this still true today?

REFUGEES

THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF REFUGEES

• Most refugees move without any more tangible property than they can carry with them

• Most refugees make their first step by foot, bicycle, wagon, or boat

• Most refugees move without official documents that accompany channeled migration.

WHERE DO THE REFUGEES GO?

REGIONS OF DISLOCATION

REGIONS OF DISLOCATION

• In the early 21st century, sub-Saharan Africa has the largest number of refugees in the world

• The second largest concentration was in Northern Africa, and Southwest Asia

• South Asia ranks third

REFUGEE LOCATIONS

World Refugee Map