In the United States during 1992, any family of four with an annual cash income of less than $14,335 (before taxes) was considered poor. The dollar amount was called the poverty line, an economic measuring rod devised in 19. The line was set at three times the amount needed to provide the cheapest nutritionally balanced diet. The poverty line is adjusted annually for inflation. While the poverty line in the United States was more than $14,000, the average annual per-person income in Bangladesh was $200, in Ethiopia $130, in Haiti $340, and in Mali $265. Anyone in those nations with an income of $14,000 would be considered wealthy. During the Great Depression in the United States, when half the population was considered poor, a family with an income at the 1992 poverty line could afford to buy a house, a car, clothing and food. The reality of poverty varies with location and social and political conditions. Poverty basically means a lack of, or an insufficient amount of, the three primary physical needs — food, clothing and shelter. But for poverty to be recognized, it must exist alongside prosperity. Before the discovery of the New World, the American Indians would not have considered themselves poor, though they lived with only bare necessities and a few handmade artifacts (人工制品) . The severity of poverty varies, depending on the economic vitality of the nation in which it occurs. In the modern industrialized societies of Western Europe, North America, and Japan, there are many government services provided to ease poverty — including free medical care and subsidized housing. The homeless of New York City and Los Angeles can usually find some shelter and a mission offering free meals. Free medical care and subsidized housing most probably exist in ________ to relieve the poor and the needy.