Human Geo 3.3 Questions

Question 1

Ravenstein’s principles help geographers explain what 2 reasons why people migrate?

Answer 1

1. Most people migrate for economic reasons
2. Political and environmental reasons also induce migration, although not as frequently as economic reasons.

Question 2

What was the principal obstacle traditionally faced by migrants to other countries?

Answer 2

Environmental: the long, arduous, and expensive passage over land or by sea. Now, transportation improvements have diminished environmental obstacles.

Question 3

What are the major obstacles faced by most immigrants today?

Answer 3

Political: legally, a migrant needs a passport to emigrate from a country and a visa to immigrate to a new country.

Question 4

What was the Indian Removal Act of 1830?

Answer 4

It authorized the US army to remove 5 Native American tribes from their land in the southeastern United States and move them to an area now included in the state of Oklahoma.

Question 5

How many refugees, IDPs, and asylum seekers has the UN counted in 2017?

Answer 5

• 25.4 million refugees
• 40 million IDPs
• 3.1 million asylum seekers

Question 6

Where were the largest number of refugees in 2017 forced to migrate from? Why?

Answer 6

Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, and South Sudan because of continuing civil wars in those countries. Neighboring countries recieved the most refugees.

Question 7

What poses the most common environmental threat?

Answer 7

Water: either too much or too little.

Question 8

How have hurricanes caused forced migration?

Answer 8

Rising waters during hurricanes can force people to migrate. Large-scale forced migration has occurred in recent years in the US because of hurricanes Katrina, Harvey, and Maria.

Question 9

When did Katrina hit, how many people did it kill, and how many people did it temporarily displace?

Answer 9

It hit New Orleans and neighboring communities in August 2005. It killed 1,836 people and temporarily displaced more than 1 million people (80-90%) of the residents of New Orleans

Question 10

What did government agencies do to try to protect New Orleans and other low-lying cities from flooding?

Answer 10

They constructed a complex system of levees, dikes, seawalls, canals, and pumps. 2 days after the hurricane hit, however, the flood-protection levees broke, flooding 80% of the city.

Question 11

How much did New Orleans population decline in the immediate aftermath of Katrina? Who were most of the emigrants?

Answer 11

It declined by 53%. Although some eventually returned, the population of New Orleans remains lower than before the hurricane (21% lower than in 2000).
Most of New Orlean’s residents who emigrated were African Americans. The city’s percentage of them declined from 67% in 2000 to 60% in 2016.

Question 12

When did Harvey hit, how many people were killed, how many homes were damaged, and how many people were forced to evacuate?

Answer 12

Hurricane Harvey hit in August 2017. 88 people died, 12,700 homes were destroyed, and 203,000 homes were damaged. During the hurricane, 39,000 were forced to evacuate.

Question 13

What hampered rescue and rebuilding operations in the aftermath of Maria in Puerto Rico?

Answer 13

The lack of electricity in much of the island for an extended period of time.

Question 14

What are attractive environments for migrants?

Answer 14

Seasides, warm climates, and mountains (Rocky Mountains in Colorado, the Alps in France, the highlands of Scotland).

Question 15

Of all elderly people who migrate from one US state to another, how many select Florida as their destination?

Answer 15

1/3 of them. Warm winters (like in southern Spain and southwestern US) attract retirees, who enjoy swimming and lying on the beach.

Question 16

What has the current president of Kiribati done to address the problem that the remaining islands will be submerged by 2050?

Answer 16

Kiribati purchased 6,000 acres of land in Fiji in 2014 as a place to relocate all of the country’s 120,000 inhabitants. “Migration with dignity.” However, Tong’s successor Maamau wants Tourists to be attracted by the coral, which will provide the resources to construct strong seawalls.

Question 17

What do people unable to migrate permanently to a new country for employment opportunities do?

Answer 17

They may be allowed to migrate temporarily (ex. Asia and Europe). Asia is both a major source and a major destination for migrants in search of work.

Question 18

Where do the world’s largest sources of migrants in search of work emigrate from?

Answer 18

South and East Asia. The US is a leading receiving country, although most have emigrated to other countries in Asia.

Question 19

What countries have been major destinations for people from the South Asian countries of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan (and others)?

Answer 19

The wealthy oil-producing countries of Southwest Asia. Also, citizens of poorer countries in Southwest Asia have emigrated to the region’s wealthier countries.

Question 20

What does the Philippine government have to say about poor working conditions for immigrants?

Answer 20

They determined in 2011 that only 2 countries in Southwest Asia (Israel and Oman) were “safe” for their Filipino migrants, and the others lacked adequate protection for worker’s rights.

Question 21

What do oil-producing countries fear?

Answer 21

The increasing numbers of immigrants will spark political unrest and abandoment of traditional Islamic customs.

Question 22

What is an example of how the relative attractiveness of a region can shift with economic change?

Answer 22

Ireland had net out-migration for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. Dire economic conditions produced net out during the 1850s. The pattern reversed in the 1990s, as economic prosperity made Ireland a destination for immigrants (especially from Eastern Europe). The collapse of Ireland’s economy in the recession of 2008-09 brought net out, and an improving economy has brought net in-migration in recent years.

Question 23

How do the United States, Canada, and European countries treat economic migrants and refugees differently?

Answer 23

Economic migrants are generally not admitted unless they possess special skils or have a close relative already there, and even then they must compete with similar applicants from other countries. However, refugees sometimes recieve special priority in admission to other countries.

Question 24

What was the total amount of remittances worldwide in 2017?

Answer 24

$613 billion. That figure has been increasing by nearly 10% annually. Remittances are a large portion of basic income for people in developing countries, especially following cutbacks in official assistance from foreign governments and international aid agencies.

Question 25

When forming his theory in the 19th century, Ravenstein noted what distinctive gender and family-status patterns in his migration theories?

Answer 25

1. Most long-distance migrants were male.
2. Most long-distance migrants were adult individuals rather than families with children.

Question 26

Recent migration patterns in the US match Ravensteing’s theory in some respects but not in others: (3 facts))

Answer 26

• A pretty high share of US immigrants are young adults, as Ravenstein expected.
• Immigrants are less likely to be elderly people, as Ravenstein expected (but immigrants from developing countries are more likely to be elderly).
• Children under age 20 make up 21% of immigrants

Question 27

The number of unnaccompanied, unauthorized minors trying to cross into the US has increased sharply in recent years, especially males between 12 and 17. Why?

Answer 27

The large increase in teen boys trying to reach the US comes from push and pull factors: they are pushed out of Honduras and El Salvador due to increased gang violence, and are pulled to the US due to rumors they won’t be deported if caught.

Question 28

How has the gender mix of Mexicans who come to the US without authorized immigration documents changed?

Answer 28

In the 1980s, males made up 85% of unauthorized Mexican immigrants, but since the 1990s, women have made up about 1/2 of them.

Question 29

Ravenstein theorized males were more likely to migrate long distances because they were much more likely to be employed. Is this still true?

Answer 29

During much of the 19th and 20th centuries in the US, this held true (55% of immigrants were male), but around 1970, female immigrants began to outnumber male immigrants & now make up 55% .

Question 30

What 2 factors contribute to the larger share of females migrating to developed countries than theorized by Ravenstein?

Answer 30

1. Because most people migrate to developed countries for jobs, the high % of women in the labor force in these countries logically attracts a high percentage of female immigrants.
2. Some developed countries allow wives to join husbands who have already immigrated.