Pacific Island Nation Nauru Officially Changes Name to Naoero at UN

Nauru President David Adeang announced during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly that the small Pacific island nation is officially changing its name to Naoero. According to Adeang, the move is designed to restore the country's authentic heritage and reject colonial-era terminology.

A Return to Ancestral Identity

There are moments in the life of a nation when people are called to remember who they have always been, Adeang stated, explaining that the name Nauru, recognized worldwide for decades, was merely how outsiders pronounced their native tongue.

This is not a change, but an effort to affirm a truth. The name carries the memory of our ancestors, our language, and our identity. It was there all along. Today we reclaim Naoero, Adeang emphasized.

Global Trend of Renaming

Covering an area of just eight square miles with a population of approximately 12,000, Nauru gained independence in 1968 after periods of colonial administration under Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and Germany. The nation maintains strong diplomatic relations with Israel, having inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem earlier this month.

Following the formal announcement, the international country code will transition from NRU to NRO. Furthermore, citizens will no longer be referred to as Nauruans, but rather as dei-Naoero. The updated name is pronounced as Now-ero, departing from the previous global pronunciation of Now-roo.

Nauru joins a historical line of countries that have modified their monikers to shed colonial legacies or modernize. Notable examples include Eswatini formerly known as Swaziland, Zimbabwe formerly Rhodesia, and Thailand formerly Siam.