Exodus is the name given to the departure of a group of people or an entire nation from one region to another.
The exodus can be considered a synonym for emigration, as it is also related to the action of moving a group of people from their homeland to a foreign location.
Also discover the meaning and difference between immigration and emigration.
In Ancient Greece, this was also a term used to designate the end of a play, marking the final episode of the tragicomic performance.
In fact, etymologically the word “exodus” was originated from the Greek term eksodos, which means “passage” or “exit”.
Rural exodus
The rural exodus is a phenomenon that emerged and expanded dramatically after the Industrial Revolution. It consists in the migration of rural communities from the countryside to the cities, in search of better living conditions.
In the middle of the 20th century, Brazil experienced the height of its rural exodus. Currently, most of the Brazilian population resides in urban centers.
Learn more about the meaning of Rural exodus.
urban exodus
The urban exodus is the flight of people from big cities to rural communities. In other words, it is a migration movement opposite to the rural exodus.
This is a phenomenon that started to grow in the late 1990s, especially in some countries of the European community, such as Portugal.
The main reason that leads to urban exodus is the lack of security and stability that large urban centers provide.
Exodus in the Bible
Exodus (with a capital letter) is also one of the books that make up the Holy Bible.
In this second chapter of the bible, the stories about the escape of the Hebrews from the slavery that they suffered in Egypt are narrated.
The protagonist of the stories in the book of Exodus is Moses, who would have led the Hebrew people to leave the Egyptian lands towards Canaan, the "Promised Land".