Nauru officially changes its name to Naoero
Pacific nation is latest country to signal a shift away from its colonial past with return to its traditional name 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. The country’s international code will change from NRU to NRO and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of…
The Pacific Island nation of Nauru has officially adopted a new name, Naoero, marking a shift away from its colonial past, according to a statement from the government's Facebook account. President David Adeang proposed the change in January, pointing to a more faithful representation of the nation's heritage, language, and identity.
The alteration affects various aspects, including the country's international code, which will transition from NRU to NRO. Locals will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. The new pronunciation of the name is Now-ero. Nauru, the world's third-smallest country by population size, became internationally known only due to the difficulty of pronouncing its traditional name.
The move aligns with earlier decisions by other nations like Eswatini, which reverted its name from Swaziland in 2018, and Turkey, which adopted Türkiye to reflect its local pronunciation.
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