One of the world’s smallest countries just changed its name
TRAVELLERS looking at a map of the Pacific Ocean may soon notice a new name on one of its smallest islands.
Nauru, the tiny island nation located northeast of Australia, has officially become the Republic of Naoero, adopting the traditional Indigenous name used by its people and in the country’s national language. The United Nations implemented the change after being formally notified in June.
For islanders of the roughly 8-square-mile nation—the third-smallest country by population size in the world—Naoero is the name they have long used for their home, and it already appears on the country’s coat of arms.
According to the government, the former “Nauru” came into use in part because foreign speakers struggled to pronounce Naoero, gradually altering the name into the version that became familiar internationally. The common pronunciation abroad has long been “Now-roo,” while the new name is spoken as “Now-ero.”
When President David Adeang proposed the change earlier this year, he said it would “more faithfully honour our nation’s heritage, our language, and our identity.”
“Today, we have the opportunity to bring our name home,” he added.
For most travellers, not much will change immediately. Visitors should expect to see Naoero and Nauru used side by side for a while as airlines, booking platforms, maps, guidebooks, government databases, and other travel resources make the transition.
The country is also changing its three-letter international country code from NRU to NRO. That won’t affect the airport code travellers see on tickets and baggage tags: Naoero International Airport continues to use the IATA code INU.
Other government terminology is changing as well. Citizens will officially be known as dei-Naoero rather than Nauruans, and the new name is being incorporated into government records, national symbols, aircraft, and ships.
Even the national airline is beginning to reflect the change. A government announcement posted last month referred to the Central Pacific carrier as “Naoero Airlines,” though travellers may continue to encounter the familiar Nauru Airlines branding during the transition.
The name change is part of a broader effort to strengthen the use of the country’s Indigenous language and affirm a national identity shaped by a complicated colonial history. Germany annexed the island in the late 19th century, and it later came under Australian-led administration before gaining independence in 1968. Today, roughly 12,000 people live on the single coral island.
The change places Naoero among a growing list of countries that have asked the international community to use names that better reflect their own languages, histories, or national identities.
In 2018, Swaziland became Eswatini, adopting the name used in the Swazi language. And in 2022, the United Nations and other international organizations began using Türkiye in place of Turkey after the country requested its internationally recognized name match the Turkish spelling.
Related efforts to restore Indigenous names or replace place names tied to colonial history have also taken place across the United States.
In Alaska, residents of the city long known as Barrow voted in 2016 to restore its traditional Iñupiaq name, Utqiaġvik, per the Alaska Travel Industry Association. In 2022, Yellowstone’s Mount Doane became First Peoples Mountain, replacing the name of a man who participated in the Marias Massacre with one recommended by tribal leaders.
And in 2023, Colorado’s Mount Evans became Mount Blue Sky following years of consideration and consultation with tribal, state, and local governments.
