World’s Third-Smallest Country Changes Name to Republic of Naoero

The Pacific island nation formerly known as Nauru has officially changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, marking a significant step toward restoring its indigenous identity and language.

President David Adeang announced the change, explaining that the new name reflects the traditional spelling and pronunciation in the country's national language. 

As part of the transition, the country's international code will change from NRU to NRO, while its citizens will now be referred to as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruans.

The pronunciation, commonly rendered abroad as "Now-roo," has also been replaced with the local pronunciation, "Now-ero."

According to a government statement, the renaming is intended to restore the nation's original identity, noting that the name "Nauru" was adopted largely because the indigenous name was considered difficult for foreigners to pronounce.

When presenting the proposal to Parliament in January, President Adeang said the amendment was aimed at honouring the country's heritage, language and national identity.

"This proposed change seeks to faithfully honor our nation's heritage, our language, and our identity," the president said.

The proposed constitutional amendment received the required approval in two rounds of parliamentary voting, although authorities have yet to confirm whether the revised constitution has been formally enacted.

With a population of about 12,000, the Republic of Naoero remains the world's third-smallest sovereign state by population, behind Tuvalu and Vatican City.

The remote coral island in the South Pacific was colonised by Germany before later being administered by Australia. It gained independence in 1968.

Naoero experienced extraordinary economic prosperity during the 1970s through extensive phosphate mining, although the depletion of those reserves later contributed to significant economic challenges.

Source: AP/NAN