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Scintillating sex facts from around the world

Sex: it’s the oldest and most universal undertaking in the world. But how we go about engaging in “the birds and the bees” varies enormously from country to country. Crossing Continents has been looking at why South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world. From celibacy to dancing with apples in the armpit, we take a look at some of the copulation crazes from across the planet.

1. South Korean women are saying no to babies

The average South Korean woman is expected to have 1.05 children in her lifetime. But the country needs a fertility rate of 2.1 births per female to keep the population stable – exactly double that. To try and solve the baby-making crisis the government has pumped tens of billions of pounds into campaigns over the past decade, but the fertility rate is still going down. It might be sky-high housing prices or the cost of raising children that are behind the crisis, but perhaps a more likely cause is the country’s stratospherically high working hours. Because women are still expected to be the primary caregiver, having a baby means sacrificing a career – and women are saying no.

2. The Japanese are having less sex

Japan is another country with a plummeting birth rate. Condom use, the pill, abortions and sexually transmitted diseases are all in decline too. Kunio Kitamura, the head of Japan's family planning association says, “The only explanation is that Japanese people are having less sex.” A recent report revealed that a record number of couples are living in sexless marriages, with a third of men saying they were too tired for sex, and a quarter of women saying they found sex troublesome. Another survey, which looked at 18 to 34 year-olds, found that the proportion of virgins had rocketed over the past decade: almost 45% said they had never had sex.

3. In Brazil’s Mehinaku village, men woo women with fish

In the small village of Mehinaku, in the centre of Brazil, women have worked out a simple way to decide between suitors. Men who are competing for a woman’s affection will bring her a gift of a fish. And invariably, the man with the biggest catch will win the girl!

4. Indigenous Hawaiians name their nether regions

Traditionally, Hawaiians worshipped and gave affectionate names to their genitals. But they didn’t stop there. Royalty and commoners alike had their own mele ma‘i – a personalised genital chant. These lyrical odes would describe, quite openly and in some detail, the individual’s nether regions. Dr. Milton Diamond, an expert in pre-contact Hawaiian sexual behaviour, describes how Queen Lili‘uokulani‘s chant described "Frisky", her "frolicking genitals that went up and down"!

5. Russia has a Day of Conception

One region in Russia has introduced an ingenious way to get the decreasing population to procreate. The Governor of Ulyanovsk, just East of Moscow, declared 12 September the official Day of Conception: a day of holiday when couples are encouraged to stay at home with the sole purpose of producing offspring. Couples who produce a baby nine months down the line are rewarded with prizes like video cameras, fridges and washing machines.

6. Austrian women offered armpit-flavoured apples to admirers

In rural Austria, women traditionally attend a dance with apple slices in their armpits. After sussing out the men in the room she would offer the suitor of her choice a piece of the sweaty apple. If the feelings were reciprocated and the man liked her too, he would take a bite of the (no doubt quite pongy) fruit.

7. In the Guajiro tribe in Colombia, a women bags a man by tripping him up

This is one community where being clumsy on the dance floor actually helps you to score. The men and women of the Guajiro tribe in Colombia participate in a special ceremonial dance, where if a woman is able to trip up a man then they must have sex. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase falling for someone.

8. The Danes make most of their babies on holiday

According to research conducted by one travel company, the Danes have 46% more sex on holiday, with 10% of babies being conceived when away from home. In 2014, the company – Spies Travel – offered three years’ worth of baby supplies and a child-friendly vacation to any of their customers who could prove they conceived during their holiday!

9. Greeks have the most sex

According to a global survey undertaken by Durex (of nearly 30,000 people over the age of 16, in 26 different countries) it is Greece where people are having the most sex: around 164 sexual encounters on average each year at the time of the survey. With weather and olives like that, who can blame them? Their heritage must also play a part – the Ancient Greeks were renowned for being sexually tolerant, open and experimental.

Why does South Korea have the lowest fertility rate in the world? In Crossing Continents, Simon Maybin explores why South Koreans aren't making enough babies.