Nauru Officially Renames Itself Naoero

Nauru, the world's third-smallest country by population after Tuvalu and Vatican City, has officially changed its name to Naoero. The move returns the remote South Pacific island nation to its traditional name in the national language. President David Adeang announced that this change seeks to more faithfully honor Nauru's heritage, language, and identity.

The country's international code will now change from NRU to NRO, and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. According to an earlier government statement, the name 'Nauru' was adopted internationally only because it was easier for foreigners to pronounce.

The proposed constitutional amendment has been endorsed by lawmakers in two rounds of voting, though it is not immediately clear if the document had been formally amended. The designation 'Naoero' is already on the national coat of arms and spoken in the community.

Nauru's tiny coral limestone atoll has faced tumultuous circumstances historically. Phosphate mining created huge wealth on the island in the 1970s before the industry collapsed, bringing Nauru to the brink of economic ruin in the 1990s. Now, the country is one of the world's most at risk from rising seas due to climate change. The government has sought overseas investment through a paid citizenship program intended to fund the movement of people and infrastructure away from the encroaching ocean.

The name change indicates 'the beginning of renewed national pride,' Adeang said in his latest announcement. Initially, President Adeang announced a referendum to confirm it. However, after extensive discussions, lawmakers decided that a public vote wasn't needed as the name Naoero has never been lost but rather waiting to be fully embraced.

The move makes Nauru the latest country to signal a shift away from its colonial past by changing its name. Similar changes have been made by Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Turkey, which asked the UN to begin calling it Türkiye. The government is seeking international recognition of the new name, with the United Nations website already recording Nauru as Naoero.

The designation 'Naoero' is already on the national coat of arms and spoken in the community; and importantly is allowed by the Constitution,' it added. Australia and New Zealand's foreign ministries as well as the U.S. and Chinese embassies in the region also designate the country as Naoero on their websites.