The parliament of Nauru has approved a constitutional amendment paving the way for a national referendum on changing the country’s official name to “Naoero”.
The government said the proposed change is intended to restore the Pacific island nation’s indigenous identity and linguistic heritage. President David Adeang first introduced the proposal in January 2026.
“Nauru emerged because Naoero could not be properly pronounced by foreign tongues, and was changed not by our choice, but for convenience,” the government said in a statement.
The country’s native language, Dorerin Naoero, remains widely spoken alongside English among the island’s population of nearly 10,000 people.
Nauru, the world’s smallest island republic, gained independence in 1968 after periods of German, Australian, British and New Zealand administration.
ℹ️ DW News
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