Literally meaning "young towns", pueblos jóvenes is the nickname given to the vast shanty towns that surround Lima and other cities of Peru. They are populated almost exclusively by Indian and mestizo campesinos who since the 1940s have migrated in great waves from Peru's countryside in search of economic opportunity, turning Lima into the fifth-largest city in the Americas. Shanty towns are units of irregular low-cost and self-constructed housing built on terrain seized and occupied illegally -- usually on lands belonging to third parties, most often located in the urban periphery of the cities. ... This article is about Lima, Peru. ... The Republic of Peru (Spanish: Perú; Quechua, Aymara: Piruw) is a country in western South America, bordering Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the east, south-east and south, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... Mestizo (Brazil Portuguese. ... Campesino means simple farmer in Spanish. ...

The towns are composed of poorly-constructed shacks which generally lack running water, electricity, and other basic services. In both appearance and culture, they are similar to the favelas of Brazil and other Latin American cities. Crime is rampant. A falling water droplet Water (from the Anglo-Saxon and Low German wæter) is a colourless, tasteless, and odourless substance that is essential to all known forms of life and is the most universal solvent. ... The article on electrical energy is located elsewhere. ... A Rio de Janeiro favela Favela is a term commonly used in Brazil to describe squatter areas such as shanty towns and slums. ... The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America, and fifth largest in the world. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

Many of the dwellings are painted with the colors of American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), the Partido Socialista del Perú, or political candidates. Some still bear the logo of disgraced three-term president Alberto Fujimori, now living in exile in Japan, sometimes because the resident hasn't had the time or money to repaint his dwelling, sometimes because he is still a fujimorista. APRA banner The American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), today officially known as Partido Aprista Peruano (Peruvian Aprist Party) is Perus oldest and only well-institutionalized political party. ... Alberto Kenya Fujimori (born July 28, 1938) was President of Peru from July 28, 1990, to November 17, 2000. ... See Exile (disambiguation) for other meanings. ...

President Alejandro Toledo, Fujimori's successor, pushed through various initiatives to encourage peasants to return to the farming and mining communities from whence they came, but they have not been effective. Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique (born 28 March 1946) is the current President of Peru. ...