Red-light district
A red-light district is a section of a city which specializes in pornography and prostitution. The term was first recorded in the United States around 1890, and derives from the practice of placing a red light in the window to indicate to customers the (often illegal) nature of the business.
Interestingly, one of the many terms used for red-light district in Japanese is akasen (赤線), meaning "red-line district".
Famous Red-Light Districts
- The Levee - Chicago, Illinois
- Barbary Coast - San Francisco, California
- The Block - Baltimore, Maryland
- Boulevard de Clichy - Paris, France
- Clinton Plaza - Bangkok, Thailand
- De Wallen - Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Geylang - Singapore
- Kabukicho - Tokyo, Japan
- Kings Cross Districts - Sydney, Australia and London, UK
- Patpong - Bangkok, Thailand
- Reeperbahn - Hamburg
- Storyville - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Wagh el Birket - Cairo, Egypt
- Yoshiwara - Tokyo, Japan (in Edo period)
- Barrio Chino - Barcelona, Spain
- Petit Socco - Tangier, Morocco