Pacific island Nauru said it will hold a referendum to change its official name, described as a colonial relic from a time when “foreign tongues” mangled the native language.

Nauru would change its name to “Naoero” to “more faithfully honour our nation’s heritage, our language, and our identity”, President David Adeang said in a statement Tuesday evening.

The tiny nation’s native language is “Dorerin Naoero”, which is spoken by the vast majority of its approximately 10,000 inhabitants.

“Nauru emerged because Naoero could not be properly pronounced by foreign tongues, and was changed not by our choice, but for convenience,” the government said in a statement explaining the change.

“This name change will be reflected across the country, from the renaming of the national aircraft and ships, to official identity regionally and internationally, including at the United Nations, and across national official records and symbols.”

The government must hold a referendum because the name change requires altering the country’s constitution.

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