Navigation
Learning the basics of why humans move and the difference between immigration and emigration.
Have you ever wondered why your neighborhood looks the way it does, or why people speak different languages in the same city? It is all because humans are almost always on the move!
Migration is the process of people moving from one place to another to live. It is like a giant game of musical chairs, but with houses! To understand migration, we use two specific words: Emigrant and Immigrant. An emigrant is a person who leaves their home country to live elsewhere. An immigrant is a person who arrives in a new country to settle there. A great way to remember this is the first letter: Emigrants Exit, and Immigrants come In.
Quick Check
If a person leaves Italy to move to Australia, what are they called in Italy?
Answer
An emigrant (because they are exiting Italy).
Not all moves are the same distance. Internal migration happens when people move within the same country, like moving from a farm in Kansas to a city in Chicago. International migration happens when people cross a border into a different country. People move for many reasons, which geographers call 'Push' and 'Pull' factors. A 'Push' factor is something bad that makes you want to leave, while a 'Pull' factor is something good that attracts you to a new place.
Let's look at two scenarios: 1. Mateo moves from Texas to California to start a new job. This is internal migration because he stayed in the USA. 2. Hana moves from Japan to Canada to go to college. This is international migration because she crossed a national border.
Quick Check
Is moving from a house in the suburbs to an apartment in the city center internal or international migration?
Answer
Internal migration.
In the town of Mapleville, people moved in (immigrants) and people moved out (emigrants) last year. 1. Identify the numbers: , . 2. Use the formula: . 3. The Net Migration is .
A city has people. This year, babies were born, people passed away, people moved in, and people moved out. What is the new population? 1. Calculate Natural Change: . 2. Calculate Net Migration: . 3. Combine: . 4. The new population is .
Which term describes someone who is ENTERING a new country to live?
If a country has immigrants and emigrants, what is the net migration?
Moving from New York City to Los Angeles is an example of international migration.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to remember the 'E' and 'I' trick for migration. Can you explain it to a friend?
Practice Activity
Look at a map of your own country. If you moved to the capital city, would that be internal or international migration?