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Sex on the Beach

What happens in nine countries

It's one of the first things to cross our unseemly human minds as we approach the vast, idyllic expanse of a beach. Sex on the beach has even lent its name to a popular drink. But what happens to those who copulate or bonk around the shores of various countries?

NETHERLANDS

Sex in public parks is legal as long as you are not near children, so it’s fair to assume the same will go for a beach. Amsterdam has three artificial beaches across the city... Hint hint.

UNITED KINGDOM

Technically those caught fornicating in public can face up to six months in prison. However, even if the act is visible, if it takes place within a house or enclosed structure, no one will be dragged off to jail. Can anyone say beach shack?

GREECE

A fairly liberal country, Greek tolerance can be deceiving: a group of British women were charged with prostitution after holding an oral sex competition on a Zakynthos Island beach.

SPAIN

There are no laws against doing it, but if you are like Daniela Cicarelli, a Brazillian celebrity caught getting carnal on a public Spanish beach, your scandalous little episode can get YouTube completely blocked back in your home country. Proof that we are living in a truly global world!

GERMANY

No laws forbid it, but if a beach gets particularly notorious, as happened with the seaside village of Aschau in the Schlewig-Holstein district, then the authorities will crackdown on such ‘public nuisances’ and begin divvying out fines.

MALAYSIA

Swinger party organizers are pushing the boundaries in this Muslim country. In 2008 the authorities in Johor Bahru clamped down on a 'New Year’s Party' with a 'no underwear' dress code. The struggle for sexual freedom goes on...

UNITED STATES

Varies by location; usually those engaging in the good ol’ coitus simply get a warning, but sometimes they are given a fine or probation.

SAUDI ARABIA

Just engaging in an illicit relationship will get you at least hundreds of lashes and a few years in prison. Are you nuts?

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Do the deed in Dubai and you’ll get 3.5 months in prison, a $350 fine and be banned from the country.