World's Third-Smallest Country Nauru Officially Renames Itself Republic Of Naoero, Embraces Traditional Identity

The Pacific island country of Nauru has officially changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, bringing its international identity in line with the spelling and pronunciation used in the national language.

President David Adeang announced the change, which will also see the country's international code switch from NRU to NRO. Its citizens will now be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. While Nauru was commonly pronounced abroad as "Now-roo", Naoero is pronounced "Now-ero".

According to a statement posted on the government's Facebook account on Thursday, the change restores the remote South Pacific nation's traditional name. The government had earlier said Nauru became the internationally recognised name largely because foreigners found the local name difficult to pronounce, making its adoption a matter of convenience rather than choice.

“This proposed change seeks to more faithfully honour our nation's heritage, our language, and our identity,” Adeang said when he proposed the move to Parliament in January.

Lawmakers endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment in the required two rounds of voting, although it was not immediately clear whether the Constitution had been formally amended.

Renewed National Pride

Home to about 12,000 people, Naoero is the world's third-smallest country by population after Tuvalu and Vatican City. The tiny coral limestone atoll was colonised by Germany and later administered by Australia before gaining independence in 1968.

The country experienced immense wealth from phosphate mining during the 1970s, but the industry's eventual collapse pushed it close to economic ruin in the 1990s.

Naoero is now among the countries most vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change. The government has sought overseas investment through a paid citizenship programme aimed at financing the relocation of people and infrastructure away from areas threatened by the advancing sea.

Adeang said the name change represented “the beginning of renewed national pride”.

When the government last voted on the proposal in May, Adeang announced plans for a referendum to confirm the change. However, the government said last week that lawmakers had decided, following “extensive discussions”, that a public vote was unnecessary.

“While a referendum is intended to determine the will of the people, the name Naoero has never been lost, but rather waiting to be fully embraced,” the statement said.

The designation “is already the identity of the people, is on the national coat of arms, and spoken in the community; and importantly is allowed by the Constitution,” it added.

Moving Beyond Colonial Legacy

The decision places Naoero among countries that have changed their internationally recognised names in moves away from their colonial past.

The African kingdom of Eswatini reverted from Swaziland in 2018. Other countries have pursued name changes as a form of rebranding. In 2022, Ankara asked the United Nations to use Türkiye instead of Turkey, reflecting the name long used domestically.

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International Recognition Begins

The name change will also result in the renaming of the country's national aircraft and ships. The government said it was working to secure recognition of Naoero from other countries and international institutions.

The United Nations website already lists the country under its new name and notes that the government requested the change in June.

The foreign ministries of Australia and New Zealand, as well as the US and Chinese embassies in the region, also use Naoero on their websites.

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