Nauru changes its name to Republic of Naoero
The Pacific island country of Nauru has changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, its president said, matching the spelling and pronunciation in the national language, reports BritPanorama.
The country’s international code will shift from NRU to NRO, and its people will be referred to as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. Commonly known abroad as Now-roo, the new name is pronounced Now-ero.
This decision returns the remote South Pacific island nation to its traditional name, according to a statement posted Thursday to the government’s Facebook account. The previous designation of Nauru arose primarily from difficulties faced by non-locals in pronouncing the local name.
“This proposed change seeks to more faithfully honor our nation’s heritage, our language and our identity,” President David Adeang stated when he proposed the move to Parliament in January. The constitutional amendment has received approval from lawmakers through the required two rounds of voting, though it remains unclear if the document has been formally amended.
With a population of approximately 12,000, Nauru is recognized as the world’s third-smallest country by population, following Tuvalu and Vatican City. The nation, composed mainly of coral limestone, underwent colonization by Germany and later administration by Australia before gaining independence in 1968.
Nauru has encountered significant challenges; phosphate mining brought considerable wealth in the 1970s but the industry’s decline left the nation on the brink of economic collapse in the 1990s.
Currently, Nauru is among the nations most vulnerable to rising sea levels due to climate change, prompting the government to pursue foreign investment through a paid citizenship program to finance relocation efforts from the encroaching ocean.
President Adeang noted that the name change signifies “the beginning of renewed national pride.” In May, following the last vote on the issue, the president announced a referendum to ratify the change.
However, the government stated last week that extensive discussions led lawmakers to decide 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 explained.
The government further asserted that the new designation is already an identity for the people, present on the national coat of arms and widely spoken within the community, and importantly, is permissible under the Constitution.
This move aligns Nauru with other nations redefining their identities, as seen in 2018 when Eswatini reverted to its historic name from Swaziland. Similarly, Turkey requested in 2022 that the United Nations start referring to the country as Türkiye.
Nauru’s decision will necessitate the renaming of its national aircraft and ships. The government is actively seeking recognition of the name change from other countries and international organizations.
The United Nations has updated its records to reflect Naoero as the country’s new designation, following a request for this change submitted in June. This shift is also acknowledged by Australia and New Zealand’s foreign ministries, as well as the U.S. and Chinese embassies in the region.
The broader implications of the name change reflect ongoing shifts in national identity and heritage across the globe.
