What is Shanty town?
[[File:rocinha rio de janeiro panorama 2010.jpg|thumb|250px|The shanty town (''[[Favelas|favela]]'') of [[Rocinha]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]].]] '''Shanty towns''' are [[slum]]s on the outskirts of many cities – especially in [[third world]] countries. Normally there are not many shanty towns in more economically developed countries. Often of low cost, with houses badly built with [[plywood]], [[corrugated metal]], sheets of plastic, [[cardboard]] or any available material. Often irregular structures good enough to keep the [[rain]] away or to protect from the summer [[sun]]. [[Pets]] and animals are often left to roam for food and water. Lack of clean water, [[Global Handwashing Day|sanitation]] and [[toilet]]s often make people, especially [[children]], more exposed to illnesses such as [[hepatitis]] and [[cholera]]. Many are built on land without a [[permit]] and often have no [[road]]s, numbered street, [[electricity]] or [[telephone]] lines. Some homes in shanty towns have some services but they are unkept and pose health and fire [[hazard]]s. Sometimes shanty towns can take up whole parts of a [[city]] and may include millions of dwellers – such as in the cities of [[Brazil]]- see [[Favelas]]. Many shanty town settlements are built on the banks of [[rivers]] and as a result the residents suffer the effect of [[floods]] or from industrial [[toxin]]s in the [[water]]. Some are built close to rubbish dumps. Residents of shanty towns often have poor [[health]], lack [[education]], suffer from high levels of [[crime]] and [[suicide]], and have a shorter [[life expectancy]]. [[Category:Shanty towns| ]]