The Pacific island nation of Nauru (the world's third-smallest country, with around 12,000 residents) has officially changed its name to Naoero, restoring the indigenous name that was altered during European colonisation because settlers found it difficult to pronounce. The change was approved by parliament in May through a constitutional amendment, and President David Adeang confirmed that a planned national referendum had been dropped, arguing the name was already embedded in the national coat of arms and spoken daily in communities. The renaming carries broader cultural weight: the Nauruan language, dorerin Naoero, is classified by UNESCO as severely endangered, though the government recently passed legislation to introduce it into school curricula.