The Pacific island nation of Nauru announced on Tuesday that it will hold a referendum on the official name change of the country to shed the legacy of the colonial era, LETA reports citing AFP.
Nauru will change its name to Naoero to "more appropriately honor the heritage of our nation, our language, and our identity," said the country's president, David Adeang, on Tuesday evening.
The local language of the small state is called "dorerin naoero," and it is spoken by most of the approximately 10,000 residents of the country.
"The name 'Nauru' came about because 'Naoero' cannot be properly pronounced in foreign languages, and this change was not of our choosing, but for convenience," the government stated.
"The name change will reflect across the entire country — from renaming government planes and vessels to official identity at regional and international levels, including the UN, as well as in official documents and state symbols."
The government needs to hold a referendum, as the name change requires amendments to the constitution.
Nauru was a German colony from 1888 until World War I, when the island was occupied by Australian forces. After that, it was jointly administered by Australia, Britain, and New Zealand until the island gained independence in 1968.
Nauru is one of the smallest states in the world, covering an area of 20 square kilometers.
Its extraordinarily clean phosphate deposits once made Nauru one of the richest countries in the world per capita.
These deposits have long been depleted, and due to phosphate mining, about 80% of Nauru's territory has become uninhabitable.
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