State of Rhode Island | |
Anthem: "Rhode Island's It for Me" | |
Country | United States |
Before statehood | Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
Admitted to the Union | May 29, 1790 (13th) |
Capital (and largest city) | Providence |
Largest metro | Greater Boston (combined) Providence (metro and urban) |
Government | |
• Governor | Dan McKee (D) |
• Lieutenant Governor | Sabina Matos (D) |
Legislature | Rhode Island General Assembly |
• Upper house | Senate |
• Lower house | House of Representatives |
U.S. senators | Jack Reed (D) Sheldon Whitehouse (D) |
U.S. House delegation | 1: Vacant 2: Seth Magaziner (D) (list) |
Area | |
• Total | 1,545 sq mi (4,001 km2) |
• Land | 1,055 sq mi (2,707 km2) |
• Water | 169 sq mi (438 km2) 13.9% |
• Rank | 50th |
Elevation | 200 ft (60 m) |
Highest elevation | 812 ft (247 m) |
Lowest elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
Population (2020 Census Results) | |
• Total | 1,098,163 |
• Rank | 45th |
• Density | 1,006/sq mi (388/km2) |
• Rank | 2nd |
• Median household income | $63,870 |
• Income rank | 15th |
Language | |
• Official language | De jure: None De facto: English |
Time zone | UTC– 05:00 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC– 04:00 (EDT) |
USPS abbreviation | RI |
ISO 3166 code | US-RI |
Trad. abbreviation | R.I. |
Latitude | 41° 09′ N to 42° 01′ N |
Longitude | 71° 07′ W to 71° 53′ W |
Website | www |
Rhode Island state symbols | |
---|---|
Living insignia | |
Bird | Rhode Island Red chicken Gallus gallus domesticus |
Fish | Striped bass |
Flower | Violet Viola sororia |
Insect | American burying beetle Nicroforus americanus |
Mammal | Morgan horse |
Reptile | Painted turtle |
Tree | Red Maple Acer rubrum |
Inanimate insignia | |
Beverage | Coffee milk |
Colors | White and Blue |
Mineral | Bowenite |
Rock | Cumberlandite |
Ship | Courageous, USS Providence |
Slogan | Unwind |
Tartan | Rhode Island State Tartan |
Other | Fruit: Rhode Island Greening |
State route marker | |
State quarter | |
Released in 2001 | |
Lists of United States state symbols |
Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States by area. The capital and largest city is Providence. It is called the "Ocean state" because of its bays and waterways. It was founded by Roger Williams for religious freedom. The Narragansett people lived there before Europeans came, but people like Roger Williams didn't respect them and used the land for their own reasons. The colonists fought a war against the native people and many of them were killed or ran away from the colonists.