America where barrios are often built on steep slopes or ravines. The soil in such
locations is frequently unstable, and during heavy rains or tectonic activity can
slide downslope, taking the entire community with it, resulting in heavy loss of
life. Fires are a common source of destruction in squatter communities for several
reasons. Because utilities like natural gas and electricity are seldom available, the
ramshackle houses, made of highly flammable materials, are heated with open
fires, and these are used to prepare meals as well. Houses are constructed with lit-
tle if any open space between structures, allowing fire to spread quickly through-
out an entire neighborhood. A second frequent source of fires is the practice of
stealing electricity by throwing exposed copper wiring across a live electrical line,
and thereby tapping into the electrical grid. Although this is obviously a dangerous
practice because of the danger of electrocution, it also causes fires because the
exposed wires frequently short out and shower sparks onto the roofs of surround-
ing homes. Crime is often rampant in squatter communities, because little if any
police protection is provided to the residents, and a considerable number of people
living as squatters may be engaged in illegal activities, from petty crimes like
pickpocketing, to more serious violent criminal acts related to drug trafficking
and armed robbery. Women in particular are vulnerable in squatter settlements,
not only because of the lack of police protection, but also because social and fam-
ily support networks are often much weaker than in the rural villages from which
they migrated.
In the 1970s and 1980s, many governments attempted to eliminate squatter set-
tlements, sometimes by forcibly removing or relocating the residents. In recent
years, however, some urban leaders have recognized that squatter settlements in
many cases are the only realistic solution to the chronic housing shortages their
cities face. Moreover, the residents of these communities contribute to the local
economy by contributing to the supply of labor and to the local tax base, often
without benefiting from many of the services the city provides to other neighbor-
hoods. In some cases, city leaders have attempted to regulate the squatter settle-
ments and provide some basic services like trash collection and general health
care to limit the spread of disease and improve the quality of life there.Straits, Passages, and Canals
Straits and passages are relatively narrow, navigable waterways lying between two
points of land and connecting two navigable, and usually larger, bodies of water.
In large archipelagoes like Indonesia and the Philippines, the waters between
islands are typically called “passages,” or sometimes “channels.” Straits and322 Straits, Passages, and Canals