A favela is a slum or shantytown in Brazil that is located inside or on the fringes of the country's major cities, particularly Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. A favela is often formed when squatters grab unoccupied property on the outskirts of a city and build shanties out of salvaged or stolen materials. Although there is no official definition of a favela, it is generally accepted that a favela is any unsanitary area of town with inadequate housing facilities. These areas may or may not be legally annexed by the city government but they all share certain common characteristics - poverty, violence, drug trafficking, and lack of opportunity because there are no jobs available for anyone who doesn't have money or connections.
There are two types of Brazilian houses: plano eucalipto and casarão. Both are typical South American building techniques which use wood as their main material. The difference between them is that planos eucaliptos have flat roofs made of tiles or concrete, while casarões have steep roofs made of clay or mud.
In Portuguese, both terms are used interchangeably to describe the same type of house. But in English, they have different meanings. "Favela" refers to an urban settlement of poor people surrounded by a higher-class neighborhood in a large city like Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo. In other words, a favela is like a ghetto.
A favela (Portuguese pronunciation: [fa'vela]) is a form of slum in Brazil that has historically been neglected by the government. The first favela, today known as Providencia in Rio de Janeiro's core, emerged in the late nineteenth century, created by soldiers who had nowhere to reside after the Canudo War. Today, there are more than 5,000 favelas across the country.
The British term shanty town derives from the Portuguese word casco antigo, which means "old shell". These settlements were built with waste materials from construction sites and often lacked even basic facilities such as running water and sanitation. Most were destroyed during major urban development projects or when bulldozers moved in to make way for shopping malls or luxury apartments.
Poor families often move into these shanty towns because they are easier to find housing in than in other areas of cities where the prices are high. However, many people stay because it is impossible to escape their environment - drug dealers, violence, etc. - without being drawn into the underworld.
There are three ways to deal with crime in a favela: fight back, run away, or get dead.
When you fight back, you go to the gangsters and ask them for protection money. If you don't pay, they will kill you. This is how most crimes are resolved in favelas - through extortion.
In Brazil, slums are known as favelas, and they are living conditions for the exceedingly poor. They are constructed on the outskirts of major cities such as Rio de Janeiro by local inhabitants. Favela dwellers are extremely poor, unable to afford better accommodation in metropolitan areas.
The word "favela" comes from the Portuguese verb "favor", which means "to pay back". In Brazil, favelas are communities where violence is common because those who live there tend to be involved in drug trafficking or armed robbery. However, many favelas are not safe places to live; their residents lack basic services such as water and sewage systems, so diseases spread quickly.
There are several reasons why a community might become impoverished and vulnerable to crime. The most obvious one is that it is located in a shanty town built without government approval on land that belongs to private companies or individuals. If the people who live there refuse to move, they may be forced out by security guards or police officers.
Some favelas are created intentionally. Residents may have no choice but to live like this if they want to be close to public services such as schools and hospitals. Others are the result of natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. Still others consist of old buildings that were not destroyed in these events but instead were simply abandoned by their owners.
Rio de Janeiro Rocinha is the largest hill favela in Rio de Janeiro (as well as Brazil) and Latin America's second largest slum and shanty town. Although favelas may be found in cities throughout Brazil, many of the most well-known are in Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro's favelas are mostly located in the northern part of the city, especially around Guanabara Bay.
The word "favela" comes from the Portuguese language and means "shantytown". In Brazil, favelas are often made up of abandoned buildings or cheap housing. They can be defined by lack of sanitation and health care facilities, but also have schools, churches, bakeries, and drugstores. The Brazilian government has tried to move people out of these dangerous areas, but it is not easy because there is no money for services such as water and sewage systems.
In 2012, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics estimated that there were about 700 favelas in Rio de Janeiro. However, since then, more have been built so this number is likely low. There are also favelas in other parts of Brazil including São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Brasília, and Recife.
According to the 2010 Census, around 6% of the Brazilian population lives in favelas or shantytowns—nearly 11.25 million people across the country, roughly the population of Portugal. However, according to another source, there are now more than 20 million people living in poverty in Brazil, which makes it one of the most impoverished countries in the world.
The majority of those living in favelas are poor and working class. The largest group are black migrants from other parts of Brazil looking for jobs in the city center. They are often attracted by the higher wages found in the industry and construction sectors. In addition, many settlers come from Haiti and Africa.
Favela residents face extreme violence at the hands of police and drug traffickers. The lack of security leads many people to move into less populated areas where they feel safer. This phenomenon is known as "favelization".
In 2008, an investigation conducted by the Brazilian newspaper O Globo revealed that middle-class families were being recruited by drug gangs, paid to leave their homes in affluent neighborhoods like Barão de Cocais, Petrópolis, and Vila Mariana and move to remote favelas. Once in these distant places, they were given money and drugs to forget about their new lives.