9781422283899

C HAPTER 1 B ASIC H UMAN N EEDS

Words to Understand Basic human needs: the things people need to stay alive: clean water, sanitation, food, shelter, basic medical care, safety. Child mortality rate: the number of children that die before their fifth birthday for every 1,000 babies born alive. Famine: a widespread scarcity of food that results in malnutrition and starvation on a large scale. Gross domestic product (GDP): the total value of all products and services created in a country during a year. GDP per capita (per person): the gross domestic product divided by the number of people in the country. For example, if the GDP for a country is $100 million, and the population is 1 million, then the GDP per capita (value created per person) is $100. Latrine: a communal outdoor toilet, such as a trench dug in the ground. Maternal mortality rate: the number of pregnant women who die for every 100,000 births. D o you have enough food to eat? Is it nutritious? Can you drink the water that comes out of your sink? Do you even have a sink? What about a toilet? Do you have a home that you can sleep in every day? Can you go places without being attacked? Basic human needs are things people need in order to be healthy and comfortable. In the United States, most, but certainly not all, people have access to enough food, clean water, clean toilets, and comfortable homes. Most

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B ASIC H UMAN N EEDS