Routes of Human Mobility

Global Immigration Patterns• NET OUT-MIGRATION

• Asia• Latin America• Africa

• NET IN-MIGRATION• North America • Europe• Oceania

• The global pattern reflects the importance of migration from less developed countries to more developed countries.

Global Immigration Patterns• The population of the US includes

about 30 million immigrants.

• Largest number of immigrants in the world but a smaller percentage - 1/10th of total population

• ½ Latin America» More than 1/2 are from Mexico

• ¼ Asia• ¼ Europe

• Australia – 1/4th of total population

• Canada – 1/6th of total population

• Highest percentage of immigrants can be found in the Middle East – approx. ½ of the total population

US Immigration Patterns• About 70 million people have migrated to the

United States since 1820. (30 million currently alive)

• The US has had three main eras in immigration – and has drawn from areas all over the globe.

Colonial Immigration from England & Africa• Immigration to the American

colonies and the newly independent United States came from two sources: Europe & Africa.

• Most of the Africans were forced to migrate to the U.S. as slaves.

• Approx. 650,000 to “USA”

• Most Europeans were voluntary migrants – although harsh economic conditions and persecution in Europe blurred the distinction between forced & voluntary migration for many Europeans.

• 1 million before Independence• 1 million between 1776-1840 • 90% Great Britain • 10% Dutch, Swedes, French, Germans,

Swiss, Spanish, Portuguese

19th & early 20th Century European Immigration to the United States

• In the 500 years since Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain to the Western Hemisphere, about 65 million Europeans have migrated to other continents.

• For 40 million of them the destination was the United States.

• There are three peaks of European Immigration

First Peak of European Immigration• 1607–1840 – 2 million (90% Great

Britain)___________________________

• 1840-1860 – 4 million

• 90% came from Northern & Western Europe

• 2/5th Ireland – economic • 1/3rd Germany – economic &

political

• Immigration declined during the 1860s

Second Peak of European Immigration • 1870-1890 – ½ million annually

• Again, more than 3/4th came from Northern and Western Europe.

• Germans & Irish

• Scandinavian countries » Entered into stage 2 of the

demographic transition due to the Industrial Revolution – too many people, not enough opportunities

• Economic problems in the US discouraged immigration in the 1890s

Third Peak of European Immigration • 1900-1920s – approx. 1 million annually

• Southern & Eastern Europe

• Most came from countries that previously had sent few people.

• 1/4th from Italy, Russia, & Austria-Hungary

• The shift coincided with the diffusion of the Industrial Revolution…to southern & eastern Europe

• 1910 – 13 million US residents were either foreign born or had at least one foreign-born parent

• 14% of the 92 million Americans at the time

Recent Immigration from Less Developed Regions

• Immigration to the United States dropped sharply in the 1930s and 1940s, during the Great Depression and World War II

• Steadily increased in the 50s, 60s, & 70s

• Surged to historically high levels during the 80s, 90s, 00s

Immigration from Asia • 1800s-1960s – only 1 million

• 1970s-today – over 7 million

• Asia was the leading source of immigrants between the late 1970s and the late 1980s until overtaken by Latin America

• Four leading Asian sources today

• China• Philippines• India• Vietnam

Immigration from Latin America

• 1820-1860 – approx. 2 million

• 1960-2000 – approx. 11 million

• 1960s – began entering Stages 2 & 3 • Pushed by poor economic conditions• Lured by economic opportunity &

social advancement

• Mexico passed Germany during the 1980s as the country that has sent to the United States the most immigrants ever, currently more than 8 million – legal

Internal US Migration

Internal US MigrationColonial Times

• Few colonists ventured far from coastal locations because they depended on shipping links with Europe to receive products and to export raw materials

• Hindered by intervening obstacles• Appalachian Mountains• Hostile Indigenous residents (Indians)

Internal US MigrationEarly Settlement in the Interior

• Encouraged by the opportunity to obtain a large amount of land at a low price, people moved into river valleys and fertile level lowlands as far west as the Mississippi R.

• Transportation improvements helped to open the interior– Erie Canal

• The diffusion of steam powered boats further speeded water travel.

Internal US MigrationEarly Settlement in the Interior

• The population center shifted west rapidly because most western pioneers during the mid nineteenth century passed through the interior of the country on their way to California

• Westward advancement of settlement stopped at the 98th meridian

• Maps labeled the region west of the 98th meridian as the Great American Desert. (Great Plains)

• No trees and little rainfall • Ironically, this is one of the world’s richest

farming areas

Internal US MigrationSettlement of the Great Plains

• The US population center continued to migrate westward but at a much slower pace after 1880

• Large scale migration to the East Coast by immigrants offset some of the westward migration

• It also slowed down as people began to fill in the area between the 98th meridian and California

• The Railroad created towns between destinations• Omaha, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Denver • Someone had to live and work there• Realization of the fertile soil

• In 1980 the Center of US Population jumped west of the Mississippi River for the 1st time.

Internal US MigrationRecent Growth of the South

SUNBELT

• During the 1990s, for the first time more Americans moved out of the West than into the West.

• Americans are now migrating into the South

• Economic opportunities • Environmental Reasons

• Interregional migration has slowed in the 21st Century.

African American Internal Migration

• From 1890 – 1960 approximately seven million African Americans migrated from the South to the North, Midwest and West.– Migrated to

• Escape Racism• Seek Employment in Industrial

Cities• Get a better Education

(self/family)

• Since 1970 the trend has reversed.

• De-industrialization of northern cities

• Growth of jobs in the “New South”

• Improving race relations

Intraregional Migration in the U.S.

• Far more people move within the same region, which is known as intraregional migration.

• Less than 5 percent of the world’s people lived in urban areas in 1800, compared to 50 percent today.

Urban vs. Rural

• Urbanization—is the growth of city populations and the movement of people from rural areas to urban areas.

• Urbanization began in the 1800s in the countries of Europe and North America that were undergoing rapid industrial development.

• Migrations from rural to urban areas has skyrocketed in recent years in the less developed countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Urban vs. Rural• In more developed countries,

most intraregional migration is from central cities out to the suburbs.

• As a result of suburbanization, the territory occupied by urban areas has rapidly expanded.

• URBAN SPRAWL

Problems Associated with Growth of Urban Areas

• Transportation problems

• Rich/Poor neighborhoods—isolated from one another

• Providing essential services (fresh water, sewage, disposal, electricity, schools, clinics) becomes a problem

• Air, water, and noise pollution increase

• Sprawl results

• Rapid Immigration leads to Shantytowns

• In Developing countries, major cities are more connected to regions outside the country than to regions within the country

Counter-urbanization• During the late 20th Century – the

more developed countries witnessed a new trend as more people immigrated into rural areas than emigrated out of them – Counter-urbanization

• Like suburbanization, people move for lifestyle reasons.

• Many migrants are retired people

Why Do People Migrate Within other Countries?

– Russia• Komsomol

– Government incentives in Brazil and Indonesia

– Economic migration within European countries

– Restricted migration in India

Migration in Europe

Figure 3-20