Every now and then, I search for migrant routes on the World Wide Web. Many maps are on offer. Most of them show Asia, Africa, and South America. So far, the best ones come from the British Broadcasting Corporation, but there are many others, as well. Still, all the maps are pretty imprecise in terms of routes. Few of them come with any numbers attached. It is all a guessing game, and the maps on the web are the proof. Which annoys me no end. Americans like to boast about their mighty satellites, which purportedly show them everything there is to show on the earth’s surface. As they like to boast, nothing can escape them with their superior technology. If that is the case, why do they not follow the migrants on their peregrinations around the planet? Why are we still in the dark as to why they are leaving their soil and where they are heading? But every photograph of streaming migrants shows that they are coming from many different parts of the world. Those that reach Europe are from both Asia and Africa, while those that reach North America are from all over South America. Returning to technology, is it but another American myth, or are we left in the dark for some reason? The underlying causes of migrations, which are climate change and environmental degradation, are perhaps to be kept a closely guarded secret.

Addendum I (September 7, 2016)

A bit less than a year later, there are many more maps showing migrant routes on the World Wide Web, but they are as imprecise as ever. Much of Asia is hardly covered, and the same holds for South America. Concerning Southeast Asia, Australia now figures as a major migrant destination. Not surprisingly on account of ongoing wars, maps on offer cover the Middle East and Africa most thoroughly. World maps show that most routes lead to Europe through Turkey and Magreb in North Africa; to North America through Mexico; and to Australia through Malaysia and Indonesia. Again, precision is lacking throughout. And so are projections of migrant numbers in the future. It appears that the threat of massive migration along existing and new routes in not so distant future is not yet appreciated in Europe, North America, and Australia. Otherwise, the maps in question would be entirely different. And much more frightening to all concerned.

Addendum II (May 22, 2018)

The number of maps showing migrant routes is growing all the time, but there is not much precision to them to this day. Apparently, there is little serious research dedicated to the subject. The only article worth some attention I found today is Camilla Hodgson’s “The World’s Most Popular Migrant Routes, in Maps” on Business Insider website.[1] Published on December 26, 2017, it offers a large number of maps covering all continents and a number of key countries. Most of the information presented in the article comes from the World Economic Forum. According to Hodgson, nearly a quarter of a billion international migrants were recorded in 2015. Quite a number, to be sure, but precision is still lacking in the article. With some luck, the information on the subject will keep improving over time. I wonder about meaningful policy responses, though. Migration will be sweapt under the proverbial rug as long as practicable. Why worry the rich with such silly stuff? Let them enjoy their riches while they can!

Footnote

1. URL: http://uk.businessinsider.com/worlds-most-popular-migrant-routes-in-maps-2017-12/#the-mediterranean-1 (accessed on May 22, 2018).