Naoero: World’s 3rd-smallest country changes name

n n

Republic of Naoero (location marked).

n

The Pacific Island country of Nauru has changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, its President, David Adeang, said, matching the spelling and pronunciation in the national language.

n

The country’s international code will change from NRU to NRO and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan.

n

The pronunciation commonly known abroad as Now-roo, has been replaced and spoken as Now-ero.

n

The move would return the remote South Pacific island nation to its traditional name, according to a statement posted recently on the government’s Facebook account.

n

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.

n

In January when the president proposed the move to Parliament, he said “this proposed change seeks to faithfully honor our nation’s heritage, our language, and our identity.”

n

Meanwhile, the suggested constitutional amendment had been endorsed by lawmakers in the requisite two rounds of voting, though not immediately clear if the document had been formally amended.

n

With 12,000 residents, Nauru is the world’s third-smallest country by population size, after Tuvalu and Vatican City.

n

The tiny coral limestone atoll was colonised by Germany and later administered by Australia before becoming an independent republic in 1968.

n

It has faced tumultuous circumstances, with phosphate mining creating huge wealth on the island in the 1970s.

n n