Migration

People start moving

The history of mankind is a history of migration. Migration has always been a central element of human adaptation to environmental conditions and social challenges. Humans populated the globe through large scale migrations.

Explore the brief overview of the history of migration of people - as suggested by the present state of knowledge.

Source

• Man leaves the African continent. Along coastlines and waterways, he wanders through the Sinai Peninsula and the Arabian Peninsula into the world. Man is not settled at the time: Without movement it is not possible to survive, as prey moves and not enough plant foods can be found in one place.
• So far, human habitat has been restricted to tropical zones. But man has learned to make fire, has acquired techniques to hunt larger animals, can cross large bodies of water and can sew clothes. As a result, he spreads to colder and drier regions.
• Man reaches Australia.
• Mankind reaches America for the first time via the Bering Strait.
• With the end of the last ice age, man is present on every continent - even in America. His ability to adapt to new environmental conditions allows him to settle almost anywhere in the world. There are probably 5 to 10 million people at that time.
• Polynesian farmers make it over the Pacific Ocean: via New Guinea, Melanesia and Polynesia, they finally reach New Zealand.