 | ||
A campamento ("camp" or "tent city") or población callampa ("mushroom town") are terms given in Chile to shanty towns. The term "mushroom town" refers to the speed in which these informal settlements sprung up between the 1960s and the 1980s, literally overnight. Nowadays the term "campamento" has replaced "mushroom town".
Contents
Definition
According to the NGO Un Techo para Chile ("A roof for Chile"), a campamento is defined as a group of crude dwellings of more than eight families, lacking at least one of the following basic services: drinking water, electricity and wastewater treatment, and which are illegally residing on the land.
Population
As of 2004, there were 531 campamentos in Chile. A total of 27,785 houses were home to 32,371 families in these shanty towns. It was estimated that 75% of that population was living below the national poverty line and 41% living under extreme poverty.