Nauru officially renamed Republic of Naoero, reverting to indigenous name

The Pacific island nation of Nauru has officially renamed itself the Republic of Naoero, a move President David Adeang described as a step to reclaim its indigenous identity and shed colonial legacies.

The constitutional amendment, passed by parliament, replaces the name "Nauru" with "Naoero," which has long been used by the island's inhabitants and is featured on its national emblem and constitution. The government stated that the change aims to discard the name adopted during the colonial period for the convenience of foreign pronunciation, thereby restoring the nation's true history and cultural recognition.

This linguistic shift involves updating international standards, with the country code changing from NRU to NRO and the English term for its citizens changing from "Nauruan" to "dei-Naoero." National aircraft and ship registries, along with all official documents, will be updated accordingly. The United Nations has already updated the country's official name to "Republic of Naoero" upon request, and diplomatic missions from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and China have begun using the new designation.

Naoero's decision follows a trend of countries embracing their indigenous names, such as Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Türkiye (formerly Turkey). The small nation, once prosperous from phosphate mining, now faces economic challenges and the threat of rising sea levels. Its government is actively pursuing an investment citizenship program to fund relocation plans for its residents and infrastructure.

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The new name aims to discard the name adopted during the colonial period for the convenience of foreign pronunciation, thereby restoring the nation's true history and cultural recognition.