The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
(commonly known as Rhode Island) is geographically the smallest
state in the United States, while also the state with the
longest official name. Rhode (pronounced "Road") Island is part
of the New England region, and was one of the thirteen colonies
that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution.
It originally consisted of the mainland Providence Plantations,
which was originally all part of the town of Providence, and
Rhode Island (also known as Aquidneck Island), on which the city
of Newport, and the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth are
located. Despite the fact that most of the state is part of the
mainland, the shortened name for the state of Rhode Island leads
some out-of-staters to erroneously believe that the entire state
is an island, while it is just a source of confusion for others.
Rhode Island is known as "The Ocean State", due to its naval
history and the fact that every point in the state is within 30
miles of sea water. |