What are shanty towns?
Q: What are shanty towns?
A: Shanty towns are slums on the outskirts of many cities, especially in third world countries. They often consist of low cost houses built with plywood, corrugated metal, sheets of plastic, cardboard or any available material.
Q: Where can shanty towns be found?
A: Shanty towns can be found mainly in third world countries but not usually in more economically developed countries.
Q: What services do shanty town homes typically have?
A: Some homes in shanty towns may have some services such as electricity or telephone lines but they are often unkept and pose health and fire hazards.
Q: How big can a shanty town be?
A: A shanty town can take up whole parts of a city and may include millions of dwellers - such as in the cities of Brazil- see Favelas.
Q: What environmental problems do residents of shanty towns face?
A: Residents of shantry towns often suffer from floods due to being built on the banks of rivers and from industrial toxins that contaminate the water. Additionally, some are built close to rubbish dumps which causes further health issues for those living there.
Q: What other issues do residents face besides environmental ones?
A: Residents also face poor health, lack education, high levels of crime and suicide rates, and shorter life expectancies than other people living outside these areas.
