Rural-urban migration in Colombia

Abstract

Internal migration in LEDCs is major factor in rapid urban growth and the development of informal settlement. This article provides a case study of migration to Bogotá and its impacts on the city. Over the past 20 years the population of Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, has grown at an alarming rate, causing an array of social, economic and environmental problems. One noticeable effect of migration into the city is the growth of informal settlements around the fringes of Bogotá, especially to the south. Migrants leave their homes in rural areas for a variety of reasons, though a long and bloody civil war is one of the main trigger mechanisms.