A shelter is an architectural structure or natural formation (or a combination of the two) providing protection from the local environment. A shelter can serve as a home and/or be provided by a residential institution. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, shelter is considered a fundamental human need, along with other physiological needs like air, water, food, sleep, clothing, and reproduction.

Types

;Forms *

Apartment An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...

* Bivouac shelter *

Blast shelter A blast shelter is a place where people can go to protect themselves from blasts and explosions, like those from bombs, or in hazardous worksites, such as on oil and gas refineries or petrochemical facilities. It differs from a fallout shelter, ...

* Bunker * Fallout shelter * House * Hut * Lean-to *

Mia-mia A mia-mia is a temporary shelter made of bark, branches, leaves and grass used by some Indigenous Australians. The word is also used in Australian English to mean "a temporary shelter". Coming from the Wathawurrung language, the term is also used ...

, Indigenous Australian for a temporary shelter *

Quinzhee A quinzhee or quinzee is a Canadian snow shelter made from a large pile of loose snow that is shaped, then hollowed. This is in contrast to an igloo, which is built up from blocks of hard snow, and a snow cave, constructed by digging into the ...

, a shelter made from a hollow mound of loose snow * Ramada, a roof with no walls * Rock shelter * Tent * Toguna, a shelter used by the

Dogon people The Dogon are an ethnic group indigenous to the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, and in Burkina Faso. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000. They speak the Dogon ...

in Africa ;Applications * Air raid shelter * Animal shelter * Bothy, public supply shelter in the British Isles * Bus stop * Emergency shelter *

Homeless shelter Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency which provide temporary residence for homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously r ...

* Housing unit *

Mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization ...

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