Country that dropped “Western” from its name in 1997 NYT Crossword Clue

By Emre Parlak / September 23, 2025

Crossword Answer

1 ? S

2 ? A

3 ? M

4 ? O

5 ? A

Hint

Interactive Solver for Country that dropped "Western" from its name in 1997 Crossword Clue

Drag letters from the pool into “Your Answer”, then reorder them to match the solution.

Your Answer 5 Letter

Current guess: —

Letter Pool

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Hint 1

hint

Reveal Hint

Think of a place in the Pacific that simplified its name by shedding a directional term.

Hint 2

meaning

Reveal Hint

????? is an island country in the central South Pacific Ocean, known for its rich Polynesian culture.

Hint 3

explanation

Reveal Hint

The clue refers to a country that underwent a name change in 1997. Western ????? officially changed its name to simply '?????' to reflect its full independence and cultural identity.

Hint 4

another clue

Reveal Hint

Nation whose two main islands are Savai‘i and Upolu, Nation whose name sounds like a plea for seconds, Polynesian island nation, Island country whose culture inspired much of "Moana", Polynesian nation

NYT Crossword September 23 2025 Answers

Tap a cell to show its letter

1 ? T
2 ? S
3 ? P
4 ? S
5 ? S
6 ? U
7 ? B
8 ? B
9 ? L
10 ? A
11 ? S
12 ? T
13 ? H
? A
? L
? L
14 ? S
15 ? A
? P
? R
16 ? A
? O
? R
? T
? A
17 ? E
? M
? A
? I
? L
18 ? S
? P
? O
19 ? O
? N
? S
? O
? U
? T
20 ? C
? O
? N
? G
? A
21 ? H
? E
? A
? P
22 ? E
? D
? N
? A
23 ? W
? A
? S
? H
? B
24 ? O
? A
? R
? D
? A
25 ? B
? S
26 ? T
? S
? A
27 ? L
? E
? I
28 ? G
29 ? H
30 ? M
31 ? E
32 ? S
? S
33 ? H
34 ? E
35 ? N
36 ? S
37 ? A
? T
? E
? A
38 ? M
39 ? A
? P
? E
40 ? J
? U
? G
? B
? A
41 ? N
? D
42 ? E
? R
? A
43 ? T
? I
? T
44 ? L
? E
45 ? G
? A
? G
? A
46 ? S
? K
? E
? W
47 ? C
? H
? E
? S
48 ? T
49 ? V
50 ? E
? T
51 ? S
? T
? O
52 ? V
53 ? E
54 ? P
? I
? P
? E
55 ? H
56 ? A
57 ? T
58 ? E
59 ? N
60 ? O
? S
61 ? F
? A
? M
? E
62 ? S
? P
? E
? C
? S
63 ? B
? O
? N
? E
64 ? S
? U
? P
? O
? N
65 ? O
? M
? A
? H
? A
66 ? B
? L
? U
? N
? T
67 ? O
? R
? C
68 ? M
? O
? V
? E
? R
69 ? S
? A
? S
? S
? Y
70 ? R
? Y
? E
71 ? M
? E
? D
? S

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Clue Analysis

The answer to “Country that dropped “Western” from its name in 1997″ in the New York Times puzzle September 23 2025 is SAMOA. Quite straight and simple! Complete your daily NYT Mini challenge with this solution.

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Your Questions, Answered by Experts.

At Daze Puzzle, we understand that every clue is a puzzle within a larger puzzle. Our team of dedicated human experts and puzzle lovers solves these challenges daily to help you succeed. Below, we answer common questions about this specific clue.

A: The most common and recent 5-letter answer for "Country that dropped "Western" from its name in 1997" is SAMOA.

A: The clue refers to a country that underwent a name change in 1997. Western Samoa officially changed its name to simply 'Samoa' to reflect its full independence and cultural identity.

A: This clue was last seen in the NYT Crossword on September 23, 2025.

A: Samoa is an island country in the central South Pacific Ocean, known for its rich Polynesian culture.

A: Nation whose two main islands are Savai‘i and Upolu, Nation whose name sounds like a plea for seconds, Polynesian island nation, Island country whose culture inspired much of "Moana", Polynesian nation

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Country that dropped “Western” from its name in 1997 NYT Crossword Clue

Crossword Answer

Interactive Solver for Country that dropped "Western" from its name in 1997 Crossword Clue