What is the definition of favela?

Answer 1

A favela is a shanty town in Brazil. The favelas are the residences of poor people built on hillsides around major cities. In many cases they are on public and private property and are illegal.

Answer 2

A favela is a shanty town in Brazil

A shanty town is like a slum- an illegal dwelling where people basically put up houses (usually just outside the city or on land no-one wants such as steep hillside or marshy land). They are lived in by the very poor and some of the houses there are built with bricks while others are just shacks. They are illegal and the government could choose to destroy them.