Migration

Migration refers to the movement of people from one geograph­ic area to another in order to establish a new residence. Migration is the product of two factors. Push factors encourage people to leave a habitat they already occupy; pull factors attract people to a new habi­tat. Before people actually migrate, they usually compare the relative opportunities offered by the present and the anticipated habitat. If the balance is on the side of the anticipated habitat, they typically mi­grate unless prevented from doing so by immigration quotas, lack of financial resources, or some other compelling reason. In the 1840s the push of the potato famine in Ireland and the pull of employment opportunities in the United States made this country appear attractive to many Irish people. The push resulting from the failure of the 1848 Revolution and the pull of American political freedom also led many Germans to seek their fortunes in this country. At the present time, both push and pull factors are contributing to the entry into the Uni­ted States of large numbers of illegal aliens from Mexico. Low agri­cultural productivity and commodity prices in Mexican agriculture have served as a push factor and high American wages have served as a pull factor. The movement of people from one nation to another is called international migration.

People also move about within a nation - internal migration. Within the United States, the South and the West have been the fast­est-growing regions. Consider the South. Millions of people left the region. Most were poor whites and blacks heading North, away from

the South's ailing farms and struggling local economics. The South became increasingly attractive to business. Additionally, more and more retired people sought the South's warmer climate; racial attitudes liberalized; a more cosmopolitan atmosphere pervaded southern cities, exemplified by Atlanta; and lower living and amenity costs than those the Midwest and East attracted many younger people.

1. What is migration?

2. What two factors cause people to migrate?

3. What can prevent from migration? Give examples.

4. For whom is the South of the US attractive? Why?

5. What habitat in the world would you like to occupy? Why?

THEME THREE

WORK AND STUDY