The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (commonly known as Rhode Island) is the smallest state by land area in the United States, and the state with the longest official name. Rhode (pronounced "Road") Island is part of the New England region, and was the first of the thirteen original American colonies to declare independence from British rule, signaling the start of the American Revolution.

The state's common name, Rhode Island, actually refers to the largest island in Narragansett Bay, also known as Aquidneck Island, on which the city of Newport is located. Aquidneck Island is also locally referred to as Newport - though it in fact has three distinct townships on it. The origin of the name is unclear. Some historians think that Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, upon discovering Block Island, just southwest in the Atlantic Ocean, named it Rhode Island because of its similarity in shape to the Greek island of Rhodes. Later settlers, mistaking which island Verrazzano was referring to, gave the name to Aquidneck Island instead. Other historians believe that the name is derived from Roodt Eylandt, old Dutch for "red island," given to the island by Dutch explorer Adriaen Block due to the red clay on the island's shore.

Despite most of the state being part of the mainland, the name Rhode Island leads some out-of-staters to believe—mistakenly—that the entire state is an island. Rhode Island is nicknamed "The Ocean State".

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Luxury resort opening in depressed Rhode Island http://bit.ly/2iaY3n
MRSmithAP (Michelle R. Smith) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:30:51 -0000
Luxury resort opening in depressed Rhode Island http://bit.ly/2iaY3n
Another Rhode Island adventure! CCRI's Knight Campus is seriously bizarre.
jaximilli (jaximilli) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:30:45 -0000
Another Rhode Island adventure! CCRI's Knight Campus is seriously bizarre.
State Watch: Virginia's Pharmacy For Mentally Ill, Michigan Dental Care Lawsuit, Rhode Island Insurers http://tinyurl.com/yglxrxj
dentalnewseurop (Dental News Europe) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:30:13 -0000
State Watch: Virginia's Pharmacy For Mentally Ill, Michigan Dental Care Lawsuit, Rhode Island Insurers http://tinyurl.com/yglxrxj
☃Alaska - The state of Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times. #Alaska
AlaskaSpeaks (Alaska Speaks ☃) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:29:06 -0000
☃Alaska - The state of Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times. #Alaska
Rhode Island Ranks in Top 10 for Energy Efficiency http://bit.ly/2Vbxkr
ECC_RI (Every Company Counts) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:27:39 -0000
Rhode Island Ranks in Top 10 for Energy Efficiency http://bit.ly/2Vbxkr
Featured Job: OT in Rhode Island - Traveling at CompHealth (RI) http://bit.ly/4qEwh9 #Jobs
RhodeIsland_Job (Rhode Island Jobs) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:27:26 -0000
Featured Job: OT in Rhode Island - Traveling at CompHealth (RI) http://bit.ly/4qEwh9 #Jobs

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