Differentiate between Internal and External Migration.

Internal and external migration are two distinct types of population movement, characterized by their geographical scope and destination.

1. Internal Migration:

   • Definition: Internal migration refers to the movement of people within the borders of a country, typically from one region, city, or rural area to another. It involves relocating from one administrative division to another, such as moving between states, provinces, districts, or municipalities.

   • Scope: Internal migration occurs entirely within the national territory and does not involve crossing international borders. It may involve rural-to-urban migration, urban-to-rural migration, rural-to-rural migration, or urban-to-urban migration, depending on the specific patterns and dynamics of population movement within the country.

   • Drivers: Internal migration is driven by various factors, including economic opportunities, employment prospects, educational opportunities, access to healthcare, housing affordability, family reunification, environmental factors, and quality of life considerations. People may migrate internally in search of better livelihoods, improved living conditions, or to escape from adverse conditions in their place of origin.

2. External Migration:

   • Definition: External migration, also known as international or cross-border migration, refers to the movement of people across international borders from one country to another. It involves relocating from one sovereign state to another for a variety of reasons, including economic, social, political, and environmental factors.

   • Scope: External migration involves crossing international boundaries and may occur between neighboring countries or between distant regions separated by oceans or continents. It often requires legal documentation, such as passports, visas, and residency permits, as well as compliance with immigration laws and regulations of the destination country.

   • Drivers: External migration is influenced by a wide range of factors, including economic opportunities, labor demand, educational prospects, family reunification, asylum-seeking, refugee status, environmental displacement, political instability, conflict, persecution, and natural disasters. People may migrate externally in pursuit of better economic prospects, political freedoms, safety, or to escape from persecution or environmental hazards in their home country.

In summary, internal migration involves movement within a single country's borders, while external migration involves crossing international borders between sovereign states. Both types of migration are driven by a complex interplay of socio-economic, political, environmental, and individual factors, and they have significant implications for population dynamics, socio-cultural diversity, labor markets, and policy responses at national and international levels.