Ravenstein's laws of migration are a set of principles formulated by the geographer Ernst Georg Ravenstein in the late 19th century. These laws describe patterns and trends in human migration, suggesting that people tend to move short distances rather than long ones. When they do migrate long distances, they often settle in urban areas rather than rural ones. Additionally, Ravenstein noted that migrants are typically younger adults, often single, and that migration is influenced by economic factors. His observations also highlighted that for every migration stream, there is a counter-stream, indicating that while people move to new locations, others are moving away from those areas.