Nauru officially renamed Naoero
The Pacific island nation of Nauru officially changed its name to Naoero on July 31, 2026, reverting to the country's traditional Nauruan-language name. Parliament passed the constitutional amendment in May 2026. The international country code changes from NRU to NRO; citizens are called 'dei-Naoero'. President David Adeang skipped a referendum, saying the name already reflected the people's identity. Sources: Al Jazeera, ABC News.
The context
The tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru has a new name: as of July 31, 2026, it is officially known as Naoero, the restoration of the island’s traditional indigenous name, used by its people long before European explorers arrived. The Nauruan parliament passed the constitutional amendment in May 2026, and President David Adeang confirmed the change would take effect without a referendum, calling Naoero a name the nation already lived by.
Naoero is one of the world’s smallest and most isolated countries: an island of just 21 km² in the central Pacific, northeast of Australia, it is the third-smallest country on Earth by area, after Vatican City and Monaco, and the smallest island nation. Its population is around 10,000. Despite its size, Naoero draws international attention for its phosphate-mining history, its role in Australia’s asylum-seeker policy, and now this historic renaming.
The practical changes are straightforward: the international country code shifts from NRU to NRO, citizens are now formally called dei-Naoero, and passports and official international databases will be updated in the months ahead. The name Naoero, in the Nauruan language, had always been the word the islanders used for their home, the 2026 change simply made it the world’s official name for the nation. Sources: Al Jazeera, ABC News.