Barrier reef: a coral reef separated from the land by a large lagoon or, in some cases, by several kilometres of open sea.

UNESCO: L O S S A R Y

Even the beach is not what it seems: the coral reefs stretch from the shore far out to sea, and although Egyptian laws protecting the reefs are regularly violated by developers who bulldoze their way through reefs, tourists may find they have to pick their way for some distance over the delicate sharp reefs, damaging both them and their feet, to find deep water.

ECONOMIST: For a tourist, Egypt can be either