President of Nauru David Ranibok Adeang addresses the the Summit of the Future, in the United Nations General Assembly. Source: UGCThe new name, pronounced "Now-ero" rather than the internationally familiar "Now-roo", reflects the spelling and pronunciation used in the Nauruan language. The country's international code will move from NRU to NRO, and its people will be referred to as dei-Naoero going forward. A government statement explained that the name Nauru only took hold internationally because the original form was difficult for foreigners to pronounce. Naoero is a remote coral limestone atoll with a population of roughly 12,000, making it the world's third-smallest country by population after Tuvalu and Vatican City.