A favela is a type of working-class neighborhood in Brazil, which is often associated with poverty. The term "favela" means slum or ghetto and was first used in the Slum of Providência in the center of Rio de Janeiro. Favelas typically come into being when squatters occupy vacant land at the edge of a city and construct shanties of salvaged or stolen materials. Over time, more durable materials such as brick, cinder blocks, and sheet metal are incorporated into the housing structures. Favelas are located most often on the periphery of large cities, and some of the best-known favelas are those that cling to steep hillsides in Rio de Janeiro. The people who live in favelas are known as favelados ("inhabitants of favela") .
Favelas are thought to be the result of the unequal distribution of wealth in Brazil, which is one of the most economically unequal countries in the world, with the top 10 percent of its population earning 50 percent of the national income and about 8.5 percent of all people living below the poverty line. Despite the negative associations with favelas, they have also given rise to a unique culture, and social and religious organizations have developed within them. In recent years, media representations of favelas have contributed to the growing interest in them as tourist locations.
