The Comoros (pronounce /ˈkɒməroʊz/, listen (help·info); Arabic: جزر القمر, Juzur al-Qumur), officially the Union of the Comoros (French: Union des Comores, Arabic: الإتّحاد القمريّ, Al-Ittiḥād al-Qumuriyy) is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel between northern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. The nearest countries to the Comoros are Mozambique, Tanzania, Madagascar, and the Seychelles. Prior to 2002, it was known officially as the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros. At 2,235 km² (863 sq mi) the Comoros is the third smallest African nation by area; and with a population estimated at 798,000 it is the sixth smallest African nation by population (though it has one of the highest population densities in Africa). Its name derives from the Arabic word qamar ("moon").