shanty town

The small rural shanty town of Ndevana, in Eastern Cape, South Africa. In countries undergoing rapid development, some communities continue to face low standards in housing and other life essentials. In rural areas the problem of poverty is particularly intense. There are few jobs nearby, as environmental factors limit the prospects for farming, so the inhabitants have to travel far to find employment.

Shanty house in Roseau, the capital of Dominica. Overcrowding has been a constant problem on the island of Dominica, in the Caribbean, but the number of shanties is being reduced, as successive housing schemes are implemented and concrete buildings constructed.

Group of unplanned shelters constructed from cheap or waste materials (such as cardboard, wood, and cloth). Shanty towns are commonly located on the outskirts of cities in poor countries, or within large cities on derelict land or near rubbish tips.

Land available for shanties is often of poor quality (for example, too steep or poorly drained). This makes them vulnerable to natural disasters such as the mudslides in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1988. Shanty areas often lack such services as running water, electricity, and sanitation. They are crowded areas, with high-density populations of squatters (people who have no right to the land). In the developing world, shanty towns result from mass migration from rural areas in response to pull factors, especially the perceived prospects of employment. One solution to uncontrolled shanty development is self-help projects.

Shanty towns are sometimes referred to by words in or derived from the local language: in Brazil, favela; in India, especially around Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), basti; in Peru, colonia proletaris; in Tunisia, gourbi or bidonville; and in Venezuela, rancho.

In Cairo, Egypt, squatters have taken over the City of the Dead, which was originally built as a burial ground.