WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) 鈥� The Pacific Island country of has changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, its president said, matching the spelling and pronunciation in the national language.
The country鈥檚 international code will change from NRU to NRO and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. Commonly known abroad by the pronunciation of Now-roo, the new name is spoken as Now-ero.
The move would return the remote South Pacific island nation to its traditional name, a statement posted Thursday to the government鈥檚 Facebook account said. The country became known internationally as Nauru only because its local name was difficult for foreigners to pronounce and was a matter of convenience rather than one of choice, according to an earlier government statement.
鈥淭his proposed change seeks to more faithfully honour our nation鈥檚 heritage, our language, and our identity,鈥� President David Adeang said when he proposed the move to Parliament in January. The suggested constitutional amendment has been endorsed by lawmakers in the requisite two rounds of voting, though it wasn’t immediately clear if the document had been formally amended.
With 12,000 residents, Nauru is the world鈥檚 third-smallest country by population size, after Tuvalu and Vatican City. The tiny coral limestone atoll was colonized by Germany and later administered by Australia before becoming an independent republic in 1968.
It has faced tumultuous circumstances, with phosphate mining creating huge wealth on the island in the 1970s before the industry collapsed, bringing Nauru to the brink of economic ruin in the 1990s.
Now, the country is one of the world’s most at risk from rising seas due to climate change, prompting the government to seek overseas investment through a paid citizenship program intended to fund the movement of people and infrastructure away from the encroaching ocean.
The name change indicated 鈥渢he beginning of renewed national pride,鈥� Adeang said in his latest announcement. When his government last voted for the move in May, the president announced a referendum to confirm it.
The government said in last week鈥檚 statement that after 鈥渆xtensive discussions,鈥� lawmakers had decided a public vote wasn鈥檛 needed.
鈥淲hile a referendum is intended to determine the will of the people, the name Naoero has never been lost, but rather waiting to be fully embraced,鈥� the statement said.
The designation 鈥渋s already the identity of the people, is on the national coat of arms, and spoken in the community; and importantly is allowed by the Constitution,鈥� it added.
The move makes the country the latest to signal a shift away from a colonial past by changing its name. The tiny African kingdom of Eswatini from Swaziland in 2018. Other countries have sought the switch as a sort of rebrand, when Ankara asked the United Nations in 2022 to begin calling the country T眉rkiye, which the nation had long gone by at home.
Nauru’s decision will prompt the renaming of its national aircraft and ships. The government was already seeking to have other countries and international institutions recognize the shift, its statement said.
The website of the United Nations records the country by its new name, noting the government had requested it be changed in June. Australia and New Zealand鈥檚 foreign ministries as well as the U.S. and Chinese embassies in the region also designate the country as Naoero on their websites.
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