The Pacific island nation of Nauru has officially changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, using the spelling and pronunciation from its national language.
The country’s international code will also change from NRU to NRO, and its people will now be called dei-Naoero instead of Nauruans. While many people overseas pronounce the country’s name as “Now-roo,” the new name is pronounced “Now-ero.”
President David Adeang said the change is about recognising the country’s true heritage, language and identity. He first proposed the change to Parliament in January, and lawmakers have now approved it.
The government said the country had long been known internationally as Nauru because its traditional name was difficult for foreigners to pronounce. It said the change restores the nation’s original name.
With a population of about 12,000 people, Naoero is the world’s third-smallest country by population, after Tuvalu and Vatican City. It became independent in 1968 after being ruled by Germany and later administered by Australia.
The government says the name change marks the beginning of renewed national pride. It had planned to hold a public referendum, but later decided it was unnecessary because “Naoero” has always remained part of the country’s identity, appearing on its national coat of arms and still being used by local people.
Naoero joins other countries that have returned to traditional names, including Eswatini, which changed its name from Swaziland in 2018, and Türkiye, which asked the United Nations in 2022 to use its local name instead of Turkey.
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