AP Human Geography
ON THE ROAD
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Why Migrate?
People migrate for many different reasons, but why they do can range from political, enviornmental, and economic reasons. How they determine on why to migrate can factor down to simple push and pull factors. Political pull factors includes freedom opportunies such as religion and speech, freedom is a lure to many. Areas where communism is the poltical party, most people would not move into that area, North Korea being an example. Enviornmental pull factors include areas that are climate friendly and overall safe for that person and/or family. Economic pull factors include areas that jobs seem to be more avaliable, and areas with avaliable resources are also pull factors toward that place. An example for this would be the Factor mobility model which states it is more likely for people to move from low-wage areas to higher-wage areas. Psychologists believe that most decisions when it includes pull factors are based on peoples perspectives of that area. Push factors are also very common. Political push factors can include forced migration within that country, an unstable government, a change in international borders, and warfare can cause a place to have refugees so they are pushed out. Enviornmental push factors include natural disasters, diseases, and enviornmental disasters. An example for this push factor would be tsunamis, volcano erruptions, and earthquakes. Anything in that nature. On the Caribbean Island of Montserrat with a population of 10,000 a volcano was present. The volcano became active and changed the islands physical and cultural landscapes causing for about 7,000 people to migrate off the island. Returning home to the island has been a difficult task because of this, so many people haven't returned. Economic push factors would be things such as poverty within a country. Millions have decided to migrate to other countries because of this. They wish to find better opportunity in countries like Western Europe and North America because these countries are percieved to be seen as economic destinations. Example of this is immigrants from Mexico who cross over the border to the U.S. Most who come here stay here and send remittances back home which is the money they earn.
When Europe began to colonize in Southeast Asia, they began to stimulate a migration flow toward this area. They became the pull factor for many Chinese during this time because economic opportunity became avaliable, and they were able to leave the famine and political strife occuring in South China. They are still present there, in what is now Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. After World War II, Europe began the process of trying to fill the void that was left with the thousands who had died. This was made through the process of having these people come as guest workers. Immigration came from the Caribbean's, India, Africa, North Africa, and Turkey. What happened was that, they went to the country that they were needed and then were sent home after, however, this didn't always happen. An example being in Germany. Many Turkish people ended up staying in Germany, which Germany ended up giving them citizenship to Germany.
