President David Adeang Announces Official Name Change of Nauru to the Republic of Naoero
President David Adeang has officially announced that the Pacific island nation of Nauru has changed its name to the Republic of Naoero. This change aligns the country's international name with its traditional spelling and pronunciation in the national language, moving away from the name Nauru, which was adopted for international convenience. The new name, pronounced Now-ero, replaces the previous international code NRU with NRO, and the people of the nation will now be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. President David Adeang stated that the move seeks to honor the nation's heritage and identity. While a referendum was initially planned to confirm the change, lawmakers decided a public vote was not necessary as the name Naoero was already widely used within the community. The change signals a shift away from a colonial past, similar to other nations like Turkey and Eswatini. The government is now seeking international recognition of the Naoero name, which has already been adopted by the United Nations and several regional embassies.