Question

Write a note on the types of migration.

Hint:

Organise migration types along three axes: how long, how far, and in which direction.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Migration is the movement of people from one place to another with the intention of settling, permanently or temporarily, at the destination. It can be classified in several ways.

Step 2: By Duration:
Permanent migration — moving with no intention of returning; Temporary/seasonal migration — moving for a limited period (e.g. seasonal agricultural labour, then returning).

Step 3: By Distance/Boundary Crossed:
Internal migration — movement within the same country (further split into intra-state and inter-state); International migration — movement across national borders.

Step 4: By Direction (stream of internal migration):
Four streams are usually identified: rural-to-urban, urban-to-rural, rural-to-rural, and urban-to-urban migration.

Step 5: By Cause:
Migration may be driven by economic factors (jobs), social factors (marriage, education), political factors (conflict, displacement), or environmental factors (disaster, drought) — often explained via 'push' factors (that drive people out) and 'pull' factors (that attract them elsewhere).

Step 6: Final Answer:
Migration is classified by duration (permanent/temporary), by distance (internal — intra-/inter-state — and international), by direction (rural-urban, urban-rural, rural-rural, urban-urban), and by cause (economic, social, political, environmental — via push and pull factors).