The Southern Red Sea Region (, , ) is an administrative region of Eritrea. It lies along the southern half of the Red Sea, and contains the coastal city of Assab. It borders the Northern Red Sea Region, and has an area of around . As of 2005, the region had a population of 83,500 compared to a population of 73,700 in 2001. The net growth rate was 11.74 per cent. The total area of the province was 27600.00 km2 and the density was 3.03 persons per km2. Geography The Southern Red Sea Region extends over along Red Sea coast but is only around wide. Forming the major part of the Danakil Desert, its major towns include Asseb, Beilul, Rahaita and T'i'o. The highest point in this region is Mount Ramlu (). It is generally considered one of the hottest, driest and most inhospitable regions in the country. The topography of the region has coastal plains, which are hotter than the regions around the highland plateau. There are two rainy seasons, the heavier one during summer and the lighter one during spring. The climate and geography of the region along with other regions of Eritrea is similar to the one of Ethiopia. The hottest month is May recording temperatures up to , while the coldest month is December to February when it reaches freezing temperature. The region received around of rainfall and the soil is salty and not conducive for agriculture. Wildlife such as hamadryas baboons, Soemmerring's gazelle, dorcas gazelle, warthog, black-backed jackal, Ruppells sandfox, dikdik, African golden wolf, hyena, Abyssinian hare, wild ass and ostriches are found in this region. African wild dog was also found in this region, but their present condition is unknown. There have been reports of cheetah occurring in this region, but there has been no evidence of their presence. It is extremely likely that both cheetah and wild dog are extinct in Eritrea. Demographics As of 2005, the region had a population of 83,500 compared to a population of 73,700 in 2001. The net growth rate was 11.74 per cent. The total area of the province was 27600.00 km2 and the density was 3.03 persons per km2. As of 2002, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), defined as the children per woman was 3.9. The General Fertility Rate (GFR), defined as the births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 45 remained at