The Nubian Desert is in the eastern region of the Sahara Desert, spanning approximately 400,000 km2 of northeastern Sudan and northern Eritrea, between the Nile and the Red Sea. The arid region is rugged and rocky and contains some dunes, and many wadis that die out before reaching the Nile. The average annual rainfall in the Nubian Desert is less than 5 inches. The native inhabitants of the area are the Nubians.