Corcovado Statue and Sugar Loaf on the background

Despite efforts of the current socialist government enacting laws aimed at a more fair distribution of wealth, Brazilian society continues to be plagued by chronic social injustice. Nowhere in Brazil is this discrepancy between the haves and the have-nots more visible than in the city of Rio de Janeiro where there are close to 600 favelas or shantytowns. Depicted here is the Rocinha favela, located in the heart of one of the most upscale neighborhoods in Rio. With roughly 200,000 residents, Rocinha is the largest and the most developed shantytown in South America.