5. Population Flashcards

Question

Reasons for Palestinians to Jordan migration

Answer 1

* The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) estimates that there are nearly four million Palestinian refugees living in various countries in the Middle East. * They fled from their homes during the Arab-Israeli Wars of 1948 and 1967. * In both wars, Israel gained territory previously occupied by Palestinians.

Answer 2

* It is estimated that there are around one and a half million Palestinians living in Jordan. * Many have been integrated into Jordanian society, but some 350,000 are still living in refugee camps scattered around the country. * Although UNWRA is responsible for health and social services in the camps, the Jordanian government has to meet the cost of supplying water, electricity and roads.

Answer 3

* In 1994 there was a bitter civil war in Rwanda between two ethnic groups, the majority Hutu and the minority Tutsi. * An estimated one million people were killed within a three month period. * Subsequently many refugees, mainly Hutus, fled from Rwanda to neighbouring countries. * Approximately two million went to Zaire and half a million to Tanzania.

Answer 4

* Most of the refugees in Tanzania are found in refugee camps on the western borders of the country. * The arrival of the refugees has had a substantial impact on the environment: * deforestation, as refugees seek wood for fuel and for shelter * overgrazing, by the cattle, sheep and goats brought by the refugees * water shortage, resulting from the sudden increase in demand * water pollution, since no proper sanitation system was initially available * The competition for water and firewood led to conflict between the refugees and the local population.

Answer 5

* Yugoslavia was created in 1918 from territories formerly occupied by the old Austrian and Turkish Empires. * Within it were various groups - Serbs, Croats, Bosnians and Slovenes - who had not always enjoyed friendly relationships with each other. * The country held together until 1991, when Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence. * The Serbs invaded Croatia, thus beginning a civil war which carried on intermittently over the next decade. * Within Macedonia, conflict broke out in February 2001, between the ethnic Albanian minority and the Macedonia Slavs. * There had been many atrocities during the war, and 150,000 people fled from Macedonia, mainly to neighbouring Kosovo.

Answer 6

* The effects tended to be short term. * The movement out of Macedonia was only one of many forced migrations within former Yugoslavia, but for many, this migration was temporary. * After a peace agreement in August 2001, more than 100,000 migrants returned home, under the guidance of UNRWA and NATO. * Others have, however, stayed away from their homelands, especially if they had been within an ethnic minority in their own village.

Answer 7

* Until recently, white commercial farmers owned most of Zimbabwe's best farmland. * The government has begun a land reform programme to take over around 3000 farms, to be sub-divided and redistributed. * Many farmers have been forcibly evicted from their farms, others have been killed. * A growing number of farmers have fled to neighbouring Mozambique.

Answer 8

* The Mozambique government has given a cautious welcome to the Zimbabwean farmers. * Many have been offered 1000 hectares on a 50 year lease. * They have been dispersed around the country so that they will integrate better within Mozambique. * Although the farmers are often starting out living in a tent, with no electricity and distant water supplies, they see it as preferable to living in fear in Zimbabwe.

Answer 9

* Ethiopia is predominantly a rural society. * The country experiences a very variable pattern of rainfall. * Crop failures and livestock losses can occur when seasonal rains fail, or when excessive rain causes flooding. * Pastoral nomads have increasing difficulty in finding water or suitable grazing for their animals. * In extreme cases, as in 1984-5, famine results and massive migration movements occur.

Answer 10

* The famine of 1984-5 resulted in the death or displacement of hundreds of thousands of people within Ethiopia. * Around 300,000 people fled to Sudan, 100,000 to Somalia. * Forced migrants do not always cross international boundaries. * In the drought conditions of 1999-2000, Christian Aid reported migration within Ethiopia: into towns, to search for work or beg for food into areas of the country where the rainfall was more reliable. * These movements can cause conflict between fellow Ethiopians competing for scarce resources or work opportunities.

5. Population Flashcards

(34 cards)