The Pacific island nation of Nauru has officially changed its name to the Republic of Naoero. The country's authorities stated that this decision aims to restore the traditional name and emphasize national heritage, language, and identity. This is reported by PBS, writes UNN.
Details
The international country code will change from NRU to NRO, and its residents will be called Dei-Naoero instead of Nauruans. Abroad, the country is usually called "Nauru" (pronounced Now-roo), while the new name is pronounced as "Naoero" (Now-ero).
It is noted that this step returns the remote island nation in the southern Pacific Ocean to its traditional name, according to a statement released last Thursday on the government's official Facebook account. The country became known worldwide as Nauru only because its local name was difficult for foreigners to pronounce—this was a matter of convenience, not a conscious choice, the government previously noted.
This proposed change is intended to more fully honor our nation's heritage, our language, and our identity
The proposed constitutional amendment was supported by lawmakers during the required two votes, although it was not immediately clear whether the document had already been officially changed.
Reference
With a population of about 12,000 people, Nauru is the third smallest country in the world by population after Tuvalu and Vatican City. This small coral atoll was initially colonized by Germany and later administered by Australia before becoming an independent republic in 1968.
The country has experienced difficult times: phosphate mining in the 1970s brought significant wealth to the island, but after the industry's decline, Nauru found itself on the brink of economic collapse in the 1990s.
Today, the country is one of the most vulnerable in the world to sea-level rise due to climate change. The government is trying to attract foreign investment through a paid citizenship program, the funds from which are intended to help move people and infrastructure away from the advancing ocean.
The name change marks the "beginning of renewed national pride," Adeang said in his latest address.
When the government last voted on this initiative in May, the president announced a referendum to confirm it.
However, in a statement last week, the government said that after "extensive discussions," lawmakers decided that a general vote was not necessary.
Although a referendum is meant to determine the will of the people, the name Naoero never disappeared, but only waited to be fully embraced
The government added that this name "is already the identity of the people, present on the national coat of arms and used in the community; and, importantly, permitted by the Constitution."
This step makes the country another state moving away from its colonial past through a name change. The small African kingdom of Eswatini returned its historical name instead of Swaziland in 2018.
Addendum
Other countries have changed names as a form of rebranding. For example, Turkey in 2022 asked the UN to use the name Türkiye—as the country had long been called domestically.
Nauru's decision will lead to the renaming of national aircraft and ships. The government has already asked other countries and international organizations to recognize this change.
On the United Nations website, the country is already listed under its new name, as the government requested the change back in June. The foreign ministries of Australia and New Zealand, as well as the US and Chinese embassies in the region, also use the name Naoero on their websites.
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