World’s third smallest country changes its name – and may even need to relocate entirely

THE world’s third-smallest country has changed its name – and could be forced to abandon its homeland altogether. The Pacific island nation of Nauru will now officially be known as the Republic of Naoero, President David Adeang has announced. The Pacific island nation of Nauru has changed its name Credit: Alamy President David Adeang announced the change Credit: AP The country’s international code will also change from NRU to NRO, while its citizens will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruans. The move restores the island’s traditional name, according to a government statement. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Officials said the nation became internationally known as Nauru because its indigenous name was difficult for foreign visitors to pronounce. “The proposed change seeks to more faithfully honour our nation’s heritage, our language, and our identity,” the President said. The island will now be known as the Republic of Naoero Credit: Getty The legislation has already passed two rounds of voting, with lawmakers deciding a public referendum won’t be necessary. A statement said: “While 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. “The designation is 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.” The government said it is already working with foreign governments to ensure the new name is formally recognised. Most read in The Sun Australia and New Zealand’s foreign ministries, along with the US and Chinese embassies in the region, have already begun referring to the country as Naoero on their websites. The decision is the latest example of a nation shedding a colonial-era identity. In 2018, the African kingdom of Eswatini reverted to its historic name after decades of being known as Swaziland. Other countries have opted for similar changes as part of a national rebrand, including Türkiye, which asked the United Nations in 2022 to adopt the Turkish spelling. Home to around 12,000 people, Naoero is the world’s third-smallest country by population, behind Tuvalu and Vatican City. The remote coral atoll was colonised by Germany before later being administered by Australia. After gaining independence in 1968, the island has endured repeated hardship. Vast phosphate deposits made it extremely wealthy during the 1970s, but the boom ended when the industry collapsed. Today, Naoero faces a different threat as rising sea levels put its future at risk. The danger has prompted the government to try and attract overseas investment to fund the relocation of people and critical infrastructure to higher ground. Comment now