POPULATION MIGRATION Definition of Terms Migration ~ refers to movement which involves change of people's residence for a substantial period of at least one year. 2 Commuting-daily movement to and from place of work or schoo! (can be intra-rural, urban, rural to urban “Migrant-a person who moves from one place to another for purposes of changing residence Emigrant- a person who leaves a country. Immigrant. a person who arrives ina country Brain drain- is the exodus of educated /skilled personnel to other countries where there are perceived greener pastures e.g. Zimbabwe to the UK. Voluntary migration -people move by choice , they make their own decisions as a result of pull factors e.g. Zimbabwe to the UK/SA for better education, higher salaries etc. Involuntary /forced migration- people are compelled to move by circumstances beyond their control they have no choice) e.g, natural disasters, relocation from catchment areas of dams (the case of Tokwe Mukosi), political or economic imposition e.g. refugees Return migration: this is when migrants mave to other countries but come back home after 2a certain period e.g. Zimbabwe to S.A. and S.A. to Zimbabwe Emigration- the process of leaving one’s country and taking up permanent residence in another country Immigration- the process of coming into a country to take up permanent or semi- permanent residence ‘Asylum seekers — these are people who have left their home country, have applied to ‘another country for recognition as a refugee and are awaiting decision on their application, Refugee- a person who cannot return to his or her own place / country in fear of well founded attempts of persecution. [Net-migration-thisis the difference between the number of immigrants and number of emigrants. it can be positive or negative. Positive net migration is when there are more Immigrants than emigrants. Negative net migration is when there are more emigrants than immigrants. Classifications of Migration Migration can be classified in terms of 1. time ie. temporary or permanent 2. patter i. internal migration or international migration. 3. decision ie. voluntary or involuntary (forced migration)Causes of Migration Conditions that cause migration can involve both push and pull factors. Push factors These force / compel people to move, they bring involuntary movements: e.gs. Economic factors + lack of employment opportunities * poor pay * expensive services such as health and education © expensive accommodation «hazardous working conditions Social factors ° slavery * shortage of housing * lack of educational facilities * poor health facilities © poor water supply and sanitation Environmental factors «adverse climatic conditions such as drought and hurricanes «natural disasters eg earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis * infertile soils which are not suitable for farming Political factors * political instability or wars © persecution Pull Factors These attract people to new areas and they move by choice within or across national boundaries. Movements are voluntary. Economic factors * job prospects/employment opportunities + high wages * cheaper services * cheaper accommodation © perceived high standards of living 26Social factors improved housing ‘* better water supply and sanitation ‘* better educational facilities ‘* advanced medical facilities «improved transport and communication Environmental factors ‘* availability of fertile soil which promote crop farming «favourable climate e.g. high rainfall and cool temperatures which promote crop farming. Political factors ‘© Political stability and peace Barriers to voluntary movements < ‘+ There may be govt restrictions through need for travel documents : passports, visas, work/study permits , emigration quotas. People may lack the money for food, housing or accommodation. The destination country may have a different language. people are afraid of discrimination there may be xenophobia attacks in destination countries, illnesses may also prevent people from migrating. People are also afraid of failing to get employment or accommodation threat of family disintegration prevents people from migrating. ‘* Some people may have heavy family responsibilities ee eee . . Reasons for return © There may be racial tension in the new area e.g. xenophobia attacks on Zimbabweans in South Africa ‘* People would have earned sufficient money to return home ‘+ People return to be reunited with the family ‘+ foreign culture may have proved unacceptable ‘* causes of initial migration may be no more e.g. political instability Barriers to return * people may have insufficient money to afford transport ‘+ people do not return if political/religious tension is still there in original areas aInternal migration This is movement of people within a country Patterns of internal migration Rural to Urban © common in LEDCs Causes there is shortage of land / land pressure in rural areas. * Unemployment is high in rural areas and there job opportunities in urban areas ‘© mechanisation on farms makes people to move to urban areas. People are pushed by natural hazards such as drought ‘© wars in rural areas force people to move to urban areas. © There are poor standards of living in rural areas and better standards of living in urban areas ‘© There are poor health and educational facilities in rural areas and better facilities in urban areas Impact on Source Region * low agricultural output occurs * there is ageing population © rural areas face shortage of labour © depopulation of rural areas occurs Impact on Destination Area ‘* unemployment rises due to a large number of immigrants © overcrowding becomes common leading to diseases there is lack of lack of accommodation ‘© pollution/environmental degradation increases there is strain on social services e.g. schools, health Attempts to curb Rural - Urban Migration «There should be decentralisation of services and industries e.g. establishment of growth points © rural electrification should be done to improve living conditions * clean water (borehole, piped water) should be provided in rural areas * self help projects funded by govt and NGOs should be introduced. + There should be resettlement to ease population pressure in rural areas 282.Rural to Rural -most common in LEDCs and very little in MEDCs Causes © Resettlement may be done to reduce pressure in rural area * Some people may change their village due to marriage * family disputes may force some family members to leave to another village. * Poor soils, low rainfall and high temperatures may force people to move to another village with friendly environmental factors. 3.Urban to Urban Causes * relocation of company causes relocation of its workers © people also move due to job transfer promotion © people also move in pursuit for higher education * others move for prestige © there may be high costs of living in some urban areas © sanitation and water supply may be better in certain urban areas. © There are better transport and communication facilities in other urban areas eg airports * low levels of crime in particular towns attract people * there is less pollution in particular towns 4.Urban to Rural * common in MEDCs and present in LEDCS Causes © shanty /squatter area clearances in urban areas force people to go to rural areas * rise in unemployment in urban areas makes people to move to rural areas * there may be housing shortages in urban areas © retrenchment forces people to go to rural areas. «Some people go to rural areas due desire to rejoin family members © Others go rural areas due toretirement at old age © services are cheaper in rural areas «there less pollution in rural areas «land for farming is available in rural areas. * rural areas are peaceful and quiet Case study : Internal migration to Harare Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, whose population density is around 40 people per square kilometre, has 29continued to receive many migrants from rural areas because it has the most employment opportunities. Work is available in the capital city’s administrative offices such as Registry, Public Service and many companies that have set up in Harare, for example, Econet and Delta. People have also migrated to Harare for better educational facilities and higher institutions of learning such as the University of Zimbabwe. Health facilities are better in Harare since there are many health institutions and referral hospitals such as Parirenyatwa, with many doctors. There are many manufacturing and tertiary industries which provide employment. International migration * this refers to movement across the international boundaries/ movement fram one country to another eg from Zimbabwe to USA. Causes -refer to push and pull factors Problems faced by migrants when they arrive in other countries * some cannot speak the language in destination country © discrimination may occur/racism/cultural conflicts * some people lack skills/education/or have no experience © others get low paying jobs. © Some migrants fail to get employment * Others are unable to get accommodation © illegal migrants live in fear of deportation * there is exploitation by employers * migrants may find it hard to adapt to local culture Effects of migration ‘Migration has impacts on both sending and receiving areas. The impacts are positive or negative Benefits to sending regions + there is reduced pressure on health and education services and on housing © there is repatriation/remittance of funds back home * itreduces level of unemployment or underemployment © return migrants can bring new skills and ideas to the community Problems to sending areas ‘* there is poor agricultural production /less food production due to shortage of labour * brain drain occurs causing shortage of skilled labour /personnel e.g. doctors © there is slow pace of economic development * family disintegration is promoted * an ageing population accurs in communities with a large outflow of young migrants 30Positive impacts on receiving areas ‘© There is increased labour force * labour is cheap ‘© market for goods grows ‘* there is cultural enrichment as people from different cultures converge ‘© migrants bring in important skills © population ageing is reduced because of young migrants Negative impacts on receiving area © there is a se us problem of overcrowding there is shortage of accommodation leading to squatter settlements * Unemployment rises © There are increased crime rates * pressure on health and education increases * there is increased pollution Case study : International migration Case study - Migration from Mexico to USA Mexicans make up 29.5 % of all foreigners in USA. Mexican migrants account for about 20% of legal migrants living in USA. Push factors in Mexico A large number of Mexicans has migrated to especially the states along the Mexican border due toa host of push factors in Mexico. In 2010 there were poor medical facilities, for example, there were 1800 people per doctor. Adult literacy rates were 55% so there were poor educational prospects. About 40% of the population was unemployed because of limited job opportunities. There were low paid jobs with a GDP per capita of slightly above 14 000 dollars per year. Standards of living were poor and there was shortage of food due to poor farming conditions. Life expectancy was low, only 72 years, due to poor health delivery system. Pull factors in USA Many Mexicans have migrated to the four states along the Mexican border which are California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. These states have attracted more migrants because of their Proximity to the border and the high demand for immigrant farm workers. There were better ‘medical facilities, for example, there were only 400 people per doctor. Jobs were well paid and GDP per capita was around 46 860 dollars per year. There were good education prospects since adult literacy rates were 99%. Life expectancy was higher, about 76 years due better health standards and diet. Many jobs were available for low paid workers such as Mexicans. There was better housing and bright lights thereby improving the standards of living. Negative effects in USA legal migration costs the USA millions of dollars for border patrols, prions, detention, education and ‘emergency medical care. Mexicans are seen as a drain on the US economy since large sums of money are to Mexico in form of remittances, for example in 2011, 22 billon dollars were remitted to Mexico. Mexican migrants have undermined employment opportunities of low skilled US workers 31and these migrant workers keep wages low which affect Americans. Unemployment in USA has risen to about 10 percent They cause problems in cities due cultural and racial issues. About 12 million ‘Mexicans live in USA and this has negative environmental effects because of the increased population. Positive effects in USA Mexican migrants benefit the US economy by working for low wages. Mexican culture has enriched the US border states of California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico with food, language and music. Negative effects in Mexico Brain drain is occurring out of Mexico since the skilled and enterprising people are leaving. The ‘Mexican countryside has shortage of economically active people. Certain villages such as Santa ines have lost two thirds of its inhabitants. Many economically active men migrate leaving the majority of women and this has changed the population structure of the country. Positive effects in Mexico Migrants send billions of dollars every year back to Mexico, for example, in 2011, ret totalled over 22 billion dollars. This is the world’s biggest flow of remittances and as a national source of income for Mexico, itis only exceeded by its oll exports. The money is used to buy food, clothes and to pay school fees for children. Unemployment pressure has reduced in cities such as Mexico city. There is also lower pressure on housing stock and public services. Migrants returning to Mexico have brought new skills into the country.