: a usually poor town or section of a town consisting mostly of shanties.

I came across this word while reading “You In America.” The speaker says: ”  They trooped into the shantytown house in Lagos, standing beside the nail-studded zinc walls because chairs did not go round, to say good bye in loud voices and tell you with lowered voices what they wanted you to send them.” Knowing the meaning of this word lets the reader know that the speaker was from a low income family and grew up in poverty.