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1. How has the demography of the world been influenced by long term migration?
1.1 Colonisation and slavery played an important role to give the world population its present features.
Slavery can be regarded as a form of forced migration, to put it mildly. Although slavery was already known in Biblical times, the four centuries between 1450 and 1850 were notorious for large scale slavery in the previous millennium. The Arabs, British, Dutch, Portuguese, Spaniards, French and Danish bought slaves, mostly in Africa, but also in the East, and sold some of them in Europe, but they were mostly intended for the new colonies occupied by European countries.
These colonies refer to newly discovered (for Europeans) territories that fell into the hands of European nations between 1500 and 1900, by means of treaties, annexation or war. The fact that European languages such as Spanish and English, and to a lesser degree French, are spoken all over the world today, is a result of colonisation. North America, South America, Africa, extensive parts of Asia, Australia and New Zealand were “divided” among the European nations.
The results of the practice of colonialism and slavery is not difficult to see today.
2.2 Contemporary migration patterns
You have already learnt that many Western nations, such as Germany and the Scandinavian countries, have “old” or “ageing” populations. These countries often have problems getting enough workers (on all levels). Also countries with a particularly high economic growth sometimes need skilled and unskilled labour to maintain this growth. On the other hand, people from rapidly growing populations with a “dead” economy, pursue success in other countries. Contemporary migration patterns are therefore mostly determined by economic considerations.
Apart from the fact that not many German youths are presently joining the labour force, Germans have for the past few decades not been particularly fond of manual labour. To address the shortage of workers, thousands of people from “poor” countries were allowed to take on jobs in Germany. In due course they were joined by their families, so that Turkish descendants today make up a considerable percentage of the German population. Apart from the German language, Turkish is the language spoken most by Germany’s permanent citizens.
The migration of Turks has undoubtedly had a big influence on the composition of the German population. In the same way the population of many other European countries has been changed, especially by migration from their former colonies.
Migration: the past and the present
| Between 1860 and 1911 large numbers of people from India were brought to the former British colony of Natal to work on the sugar plantations. Today their descendants still live mainly in Kwazulu-Natal, one of our country’s nine provinces. |
| The Islam faith was established in South Africa during the seventeenth century, amongst others by people who had been banned from the Dutch colonies, because they instigated rebellion against the colonial powers. |
| After gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand in the late nineteenth century, many Zulus moved to that area to work in the mines. This is one of the reasons why Zulu is still the home language of many citizens of the present Gauteng province. |
| The population of the American city of Miami is supplemented by Americans who choose to retire there, because they enjoy holiday weather all the year round without having to endure the cold of the more northerly states where they used to live. |
| Many South Africans have left the country over the past 15 years, settling in Australia, New Zealand or Canada. They believe that the salaries they earn there will never be matched in South Africa. Some of them even prefer the political dispensation in these countries. |
| In 1846 Ireland was stricken with disaster when the potato crop was a complete failure. Tens of thousands of people died of famine and misery, or emigrated. The Irish population dropped by two million. |
| Jamaica, an island in the Caribbean Ocean, was “discovered” by Columbus in 1494, and became a Spanish colony in 1509. The island, then called Santiago, was ruled by eight Spanish families. The original population, Indian Arowaks, were exterminated and replaced with African slaves. |
| Almost 90% of the Australian population live in the south-eastern part of the country. The interior, consisting mainly of steppes, desert and also salt desert, is practically uninhabitable. |
| Colonial governments found that the local populations of many African countries were unable or unwilling to engage in the new economy. As a result they imported workers from other parts of the world. For the same reason the British imported people from India to help build the railway line between Mombasa and Kampala (Uganda). The Indians remained there after their contracts had expired, and today they form the backbone of the entire East African economy. |
Large scale emigration can influence countries in a very negative way.
If circumstances force people to leave the country of their birth permanently, it is often the most enterprising people, the entrepreneurs, who take the big step. The rest is often too scared to venture into the unknown. When the top human potential of the country of origin leave, it is often to the country’s further detriment.
The opposite is true of the country to which these people migrate. Immigrants of this calibre are an asset to their new country.
Could this be the reason why the population of the USA is so enterprising?
2. Wars and upheavals in the Great Lake area and how conflict and war affect the population of the countries of central Africa
War is the most important event that disrupts populations, and obstructs development.
During the last four decades Africa lost approximately eight million people in violent conflict situations during thirty civil wars. Since the beginning of the nineties of the previous century more than four million people died, 24 million were uprooted in their own countries and 18 million fled across the borders of their country.
The countries of the Great Lakes area were affected the most.
Research the following and complete:
a) The following lakes of Central Africa are called the Great Lakes because of their size:
b) The states situated in this area are:
Conflict and war in Central Africa are responsible for more than the loss of lives:
a) Using the above information, take your time to think on these matters. Add your personal insights and describe the population of a country at the end of a twenty year period of armed conflict.
b) If you were the secretary general of the United Nations, what would you do to prevent this type of war (and its consequences) in Africa?
c) You are the minister of population development and education of a country when a twenty year period of war has come to an end. What steps would you take to counter the damaging effects of war on the population to the best of your ability?
| Learning Outcomes(LOs) |
| LO 1 |
| GEOGRAPHICAL ENQUIRYThe learner will be able to use enquiry skills to investigate geographical and environmental concepts and processes. |
| Assessment standards(ASe) |
| We know this when the learner: |
| 1.2 organises and interprets information relevant to the enquiry from simple graphs, maps, and statistical sources [works with sources]; |
| 1.5 uses information to suggest answers, propose alternatives and possible solutions [answers the question]; |
| 1.6 reports on the inquiry using evidence from the sources including maps, diagrams and graphics; where possible uses computers in the presentation [communicates the answer]. |
| LO 3 |
| EXPLORING ISSUESThe learner will be able to make informed decisions about social and environmental issues and problems. |
| We know this when the learner: |
| 3.1 identifies challenges to societies and settlements, with focus on population growth and change [identifies the issue]; |
| 3.2 identifies the factors that contribute to population growth and change [factors affecting the issue]; |
| 3.3 identifies processes that affect population growth and change in various places [factors affecting the issue]; |
| 3.4 suggests ways of responding to issues associated with population growth and change in a particular context [makes choices]. |
Activity1:
 |
Old
 |
Young
Activity 2:
a) b
b) c
c) b
d) a
e) b
f) a
g) c
h) a
i) b
Activity 3:
a) Great Lakes: Victoria
Albert
Edward
Kivu
Tanganyika
Malawi
b) Countries in the region: Kenya
Tanzania
Uganda
Burundi
DRC
Activity 4:
a) disrupted families: breadwinner absent, orphans
children who did service as soldiers, cannot be “normal”
people not equipped for the future: few skills or education
b) send a peace task force to the region
try to negotiate a long term political solution
offer development aid: develop resources so that people/countries are not forced to loot and plunder for survival
c) take care of orphans
“re-educate” the child soldiers
allow people to develop various skills
do everything possible to create jobs
supply suitable accommodation (where parental education can take place)
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Last edited by Siyavula Uploaders on May 11, 2009 3:03 pm -0500.