Human migration

Human migration is the movement by people from one place to another. The movement is often over long distances and from one country to another, but internal migration in a country is also possible.

People may migrate as individuals, in family units or in large groups.

Introduction
Below are four items about human migration:

- Human migration.

- Different types of human movements.

- Several categories of migration.

- Reasons for migrating.

1. Human migration.

Human migration is the movement of people from one place in the world to another, with the intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily in a new location.

2. Different types of human movements.

Then tell students that people move for many reasons, and that types of human migration include:

internal migration:	moving within a state, country, or continent.
external migration:	moving to a different state, country, or continent.
emigration:	leaving one country to move to another.
immigration:	moving into a new country.
return migration:	moving back to where you came from.
seasonal migration:	moving with each season or in response to labor or climate conditions.

3. Several categories of migration.

People who migrate fall into several categories:

An emigrant	is a person who is leaving one country to live in another.
An immigrant	is a person who is entering a country from another to make a new home.
A refugee	is a person who has moved to a new country because of a problem in their former home.

4. Reasons for migrating.

Why do people move? What forces drive human migration?

People move for many reasons and those reasons are called push factors and pull factors:

Push factors	Tell students that push factors include leaving a place because of a problem, such as a food shortage, war, or flood.
Pull factors	Tell students that pull factors include moving to a place because of something good, such as a nicer climate, more job opportunities, or a better food supply.

Extra questions:

What effect does a region’s economy, climate, politics, and culture have on migration to and from the area? Additional reasons for migrating, such as displacement by a natural disaster, lack of natural resources, the state of an economy and more.