Naoero, Not Nauru: A Constitutional Amendment to Undo a Colonial Mispronunciation
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Article summary
The Pacific island country long known internationally as Nauru has formally become the Republic of Naoero, adopting the spelling and pronunciation used in its own language. The change was effected by constitutional amendment: the Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2026 was introduced in Parliament on 29 January 2026, passed unanimously after the mandatory 90-day layover period required for constitutional amendments, and was certified by Speaker Marcus Stephen on 13 May 2026. The short form becomes Naoero, the international country code is updated to NRO, and citizens are to be known as dei-Naoero. The pronunciation shifts from Now-roo to Now-ero. Australia, New Zealand, the United States and China have updated their foreign ministry and embassy references. Naoero is among the world's smallest states, and the change restores a name displaced because foreigners found the original difficult to pronounce.
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Q1. In the study of place names, an 'endonym' is:
Q2. Nauru, now Naoero, is most commonly cited in economics as an example of:
Q3. Consider the following statements about the renaming: 1. It was effected by constitutional amendment, certified by the Speaker on 13 May 2026 after a mandatory 90-day layover period. 2. Australia, New Zealand, the United States and China updated their foreign ministry and embassy references. 3. A state can compel other countries to adopt its preferred name once the change is enacted domestically. Which of the statements given above are correct?