1 percent of the world’s population are refugees.
In practical terms we hear the number 1 and don’t think much of it, it’s “only 1.” Yet, on a global scale “only 1” means much more than that, with a world population of approximately 7.4 billion that is 74 million people that have fled their homes in desperation or out of sheer terror.
Today is World Refugee Day, for more information:
3. The Southwest as a whole has a large percentage of people born outside of the United States due to its proximity to Mexico.
4. California has the greatest percentage of people that were born in another country. This is due to them drawing in large numbers of migrants from both Latin America as well as Asia.
5. New York has the second highest percentage of people born outside of the U.S. at 25%. Migrants tend to flock towards large urban centers and New York City fits this pattern perfectly.To check out the map and see where people in your state are from follow this link.
The Buffalo Bills were scheduled to host the New York Jets today in a game between division rivals. Instead the Bills will play the Jets in Detroit on Monday night as the city is still digging itself out from two snow storms that dropped five feet of snow over western New York. Most people would not usually associate an NFL game being postponed and moved with Human Geography, but as always everything comes back to Human Geography.
When my students break down population patterns around the country one of the cities that comes up every year is Naples, Florida. The population in that city is disproportionately made up of elderly people, as Naples is one of the prime retirement destinations in the country. If you are wondering what the population pattern of Naples has to do with a record breaking snowstorm in upstate New York I assure you that the connection is real.
I ask my students to imagine themselves in the following scenario: they are a retired 70 year old factory worker living in the Northeast. Where would they rather be in the dead of winter, scraping ice off their windshield and shoveling snow in Buffalo or playing nine holes of golf in Naples where it’s 78 degrees. The answer is always overwhelmingly Naples.
The environmental pull factors that draw people out of the cold weather and to warm destinations are obvious. They have contributed heavily to the recent trend of the population shifting southward. This migration shift is only expected to grow as the American population gets older and more people enter retirement. Buffalo is one of many cities in the “Rust Belt” that is currently losing population and the recent extreme weather will likely convince many more to head south because the NFL has yet to postpone a game due to extreme sunshine.
When people consider moving to another part of the world one of the biggest concerns is the potential language barrier. The challenge of adapting to a new country while simultaneously learning a new language could be enough to dissuade somebody from taking the leap. In much of the world learning a second language is not optional, even if language is not mandated through education many people pick up a second language based on the ethnic origins of immigrants.
Movehub.com is a resource site for people looking to move abroad. They created a graphic that shows the second most prevalent language in each country. You might be surprised to find out that you already speak a language strongly connected to a dream destination.
Alarming Fact: The Turkish government estimates that it has taken in 1.6 million Syrian refugees as a result of ISIS.
The Human Geo Guy’s Take: ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) continues to expand its territory in eastern Syria and northwest Iraq, with the conflict escalating people are fleeing by the hundreds of thousands. Escaping ahead of the ISIS advance is a wise decision as Islamic State have proven to show no mercy conducting mass executions and beheadings of American and British journalists. This is a clear example of forced migration as these refugees feel they have no choice but to run for their lives.
Adding to the crisis a large number of these refugees entering Turkey are Kurds. Turkey has had a troubled history with its Kurdish population and even attempted to close off the border to slow down the influx. The numbers have become so overwhelming that Turkey has had no choice but to let them in. With so many displaced people entering it has become a humanitarian crisis, they are in desperate need of basic necessities as most of their belongings were left behind in the rapid evacuations. With ISIS gaining in strength Turkey should brace itself for an even greater number of refugees heading their way.
Earlier this month the Pew Research Center released an article by Christopher Inkpen with 7 critical facts about world migration and an interactive map that shows the source countries for migrants around the world. The site is a valuable resource worth checking out: http://pewrsr.ch/1qXZRr5.
My biggest takeaway was something I’ve been teaching my students for years: In the poorest countries of Sub-Saharan few if any people are making it out. Their reality is that they live in extreme poverty and are only surrounded by other countries with similar conditions. They have almost no options for reaching the rich world. I even make my students memorize the following phrase about the limited amount of migration from Africa to the developed countries, “if they could, they would, but they can’t, so they don’t.”
Japan is home of the world’s third largest economy, trailing only the United States and China, and has been viewed as the ultimate success story following the devastation of World War II. They managed to transform a war battered country into a technological pioneer with a remarkably high standard of living. Japan has been held up as a model for the poor world to follow in their pursuit of development. For the past half century it has been rare to hear negative news as it relates to the future prospects of the East Asian power which makes their current population trend even more alarming.
The current fertility rate in Japan is 1.4, one of the lowest rates on Earth and well below the 2.1 threshold needed to maintain a population at a stable level. Many women are choosing to not marry and have children because they prefer to pursue careers and challenge traditional gender roles. Once women marry they are expected to give up their jobs and take care of the home and family. Given the option of being glorified maids or using their higher educations to achieve financial independence, they are choosing to work. Adding to the issue is the lack of child care available to mothers who would like to return to work. Not only are child care options limited, but if they can find one the costs are ridiculously high. Continue reading Human Geography: The Declining and Aging Population of Japan
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While listening to the radio a few days ago, I heard an interview with a doctor considered to be one of the top specialists in treating and researching blood cancers. He spoke about his cutting edge research, the gains that have been made against certain blood disorders and his hopes to someday find a cure for all blood cancers. I found this interview to be remarkable and had not realized how much progress has already been made in treating people with leukemia. This interview particularly caught my attention as one of my closest friends passed away due to non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 24.
While his medical research was clearly the most important thing that he spoke of, an off-hand comment was made about how the doctor had been highly interested in the World Cup, as he was originally from Uruguay. This immediately made me think of one of the critical concepts that we cover during the migration unit of human geography, brain drain. Brain drain is defined as the large scale immigration of talented people. These talented people will typically leave the poor world seeking job opportunities, wealth, and access to better support systems in their field of study.
While it is understandable for them to make the decision to leave their current situation and seek a better life in countries like the United States, there is a part of the conversation that is often neglected. What about the hole they left in their home country? Often these countries are lacking in their ability to provide medical attention to their people. If the top research universities in the rich world are poaching their best doctors, what will happen to the quality of treatment back home? The reality with brain drain is that the poor world’s loss becomes the rich world’s gain.
Lebron James announced today that he would be leaving the Miami Heat to sign a free agent contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. I happened to be with a group of friends that were predominantly Heat fans but included somebody from Ohio. While the South Floridians bemoaned the loss of the most talented basketball player on the planet my friend who is originally from Sandusky, Ohio rejoiced that Lebron was “coming home.”
While they discussed the athletic implications for both teams I immediately thought about the move in human geography terms. What I found most surprising was that he was going against the current internal migration patterns evident in the United States. The “Rust Belt,” the Great Lakes with a historical tradition of manufacturing, has been rapidly losing population to the “Sun Belt” in recent years. Some of the reasons for this population shift include: retirees moving to areas with warmer climates, increased employment opportunities in the South, and the closing of factories as manufacturing jobs increasingly get transferred to countries like China where labor costs are significantly less. Lebron James even alluded to the challenges faced by the people of northeast Ohio and stated that he felt an obligation to help build up the community and local economy. While he tries to help revive a region that has struggled in recent years, he can rest assured knowing that he and his family have already taken a small step to reverse one negative trend for the people of the “Rust Belt,” he moved there.
