Rhode Island is about 37 miles (60 km) wide from east to west and about 48 miles (77 km) long from north to south. It is the smallest US state, with 1,034 square miles of land, or 1,545 square miles counting water. Its coast zig-zags around Narragansett Bay, giving it 384 miles of shoreline.
how wide Rhode Island is quick facts
- Rhode Island is about 37 miles (60 km) wide.
- It is about 48 miles (77 km) long from north to south.
- Rhode Island is the smallest US state by area.
- It has 384 miles of shoreline around Narragansett Bay.
- Its capital is Providence, founded by Roger Williams in 1636.
How wide is Rhode Island?
Rhode Island is about 37 miles (60 km) wide from east to west. National Geographic Kids says it is about 48 miles (77 km) long from north to south.
That is not very far at all. A car could drive across Rhode Island from one side to the other in well under an hour.
These are the greatest distances across the state. Because Rhode Island has such a wiggly coastline, with a big bay cutting into it, it is much narrower in some places.
| Rhode Island at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Width (east to west) | about 37 miles (60 km) |
| Length (north to south) | about 48 miles (77 km) |
| Land area | 1,034 sq miles (2,678 sq km) |
| Total area, with water | 1,545 sq miles (4,001 sq km) |
| Shoreline | 384 miles (618 km) |
| Capital | Providence |
| People (2020) | 1,097,379 |
The smallest state
Rhode Island is the smallest of all 50 US states by area, National Geographic Kids says.
The US Census Bureau says its land area is 1,034 square miles (2,678 sq km). Counting its water too, the total area is 1,545 square miles (4,001 sq km). About a third of Rhode Island’s total area is water.
To see how small it is, compare it with the biggest states. Using Census Bureau figures, Alaska is about 430 times bigger than Rhode Island, and Texas is about 174 times bigger. Large states like California and New York could each hold Rhode Island many times over.
Why are there different sizes?
If you look up Rhode Island’s size, you may find three different answers: 1,034, about 1,214 or 1,545 square miles. Why?
It depends on how much water is counted. 1,034 square miles is the land only. The Census Bureau says Rhode Island also has 182 square miles of inland water, such as lakes, rivers and the inner bay, and 64 square miles of coastal water.
Adding the land and the inland water gives a number close to 1,214. Adding all of the water gives 1,545. All three are correct; they just measure different things.
A long, wiggly coast
Rhode Island is small, but it has a surprisingly long coastline. NOAA, the US ocean agency, says it has 384 miles (618 km) of shoreline.
How can such a small state have so much coast? National Geographic Kids says a large bay, called Narragansett Bay, cuts deep into the state from the Atlantic Ocean. The shore zig-zags around the bay, its inlets and its islands, adding mile after mile.
Block Island lies out in the ocean, off the south coast. That is one reason Rhode Island’s nickname is “The Ocean State”.
Land and water
National Geographic Kids says Rhode Island has two main land regions: the Coastal Lowland, near the sea, and the Eastern New England Upland, in the west and north. The highest point is a small hill called Jerimoth Hill.
The bay is important for wildlife. NOAA says the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve was created in 1980. It protects 4,332 acres on three islands in the bay, called Prudence, Patience and Hope.
Most Rhode Islanders live close to the sea. NOAA says about 1,057,800 people live in the state’s coastal areas, and the ocean economy adds about $2.5 billion to the state each year.
Key facts
The capital and largest city of Rhode Island is Providence. National Geographic Kids says the state bird is the Rhode Island Red, a breed of chicken, the state flower is the violet and the state tree is the red maple.
The US Census Bureau says 1,097,379 people lived in Rhode Island in the 2020 Census, 4.3% more than in 2010.
Wildlife in Rhode Island includes black bears, beavers, river otters and raccoons, and birds such as herons, eiders and loons, National Geographic Kids says. Narragansett Bay is famous for its fish and clams.
A short history
Rhode Island has a proud history of freedom. The National Park Service says Roger Williams founded Providence in 1636, after he was banished by English colonial leaders in neighbouring Massachusetts. Native American peoples helped him survive.
Williams believed that governments should not control what people believe. The National Park Service says his colony welcomed people who were being treated badly because of their religion.
Touro Synagogue in Newport, dedicated in 1763, is the oldest synagogue in the United States, the National Park Service says.
On 4 May 1776, Rhode Island’s lawmakers cancelled their loyalty to the British king, King George III. That made it the first colony to formally break away from Britain, two months before the Declaration of Independence.
Rhode Island became the 13th state in 1790, the last of the original 13 colonies to approve the US Constitution. The US Census Bureau marks the anniversary each year.
Birthplace of American factories
In 1790, America’s first successful cotton mill started working at Pawtucket, in Rhode Island, powered by the Blackstone River. The National Park Service says the Blackstone River Valley is known as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.
Rhode Island’s history also has painful parts. Merchants from the state launched more than 1,000 voyages carrying enslaved people from Africa to the Americas. In 2020, partly because of this history, voters agreed to shorten the state’s official name from “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” to “State of Rhode Island”.
Is Rhode Island an island?
Despite its name, Rhode Island is not one island. National Geographic Kids says most of the state is mainland, joined to the rest of the United States.
It does have islands, though. Several islands sit in Narragansett Bay, and Block Island lies out in the Atlantic Ocean. The largest island in the bay is called Aquidneck Island, where the city of Newport stands.
Newport is famous for its grand mansions from the late 1800s. One of them, The Breakers, was built for the wealthy Vanderbilt family and has 70 rooms.
Rhode Island by the numbers
The US Census Bureau gives some useful numbers for comparing states. Alaska, the biggest state, has a total area of 665,384 square miles, and Texas has 268,596 square miles. Rhode Island’s total is just 1,545 square miles.
The Census Bureau also marks the middle of each state. It puts the centre point of Rhode Island at about 41.6 degrees north and 71.5 degrees west.
Rhode Island is small, but it is busy. Between 2010 and 2020, the Census Bureau says, it grew by 44,812 people, or 4.3%. The United States as a whole grew by 7.4% over the same years.
Living by the sea
Being so close to the ocean brings good things and challenges. NOAA says jobs linked to the ocean, such as fishing, boating and tourism, pay about $1.3 billion in wages each year.
But the sea can also be dangerous. NOAA says Rhode Island has had nine weather disasters costing a billion dollars or more since 2018. Storms and hurricanes can bring strong winds and flooding to the coast.
The Narragansett Bay reserve helps scientists study the bay and protect it. NOAA says it lies about 12 miles north of Newport.
Roger Williams’ spring
When Roger Williams founded Providence in 1636, the National Park Service says, the place was first called Moshassuck. A freshwater spring sat at the centre of the new settlement.
Today, the Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence remembers him and his belief that people should be free to follow their own beliefs.
The National Park Service says Touro Synagogue became a National Historic Site in 1946, and more than 30,000 people visit it each year.
Rhode Island and independence
Rhode Island played a big part in the fight for American independence. Two men, William Ellery and Stephen Hopkins, represented Rhode Island at the Continental Congress in 1776, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
For more than 200 years, the state’s official name was “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations”. It had been used since 1790. An attempt to change it in 2010 failed, but voters approved the shorter name in 2020.
The Breakers
Newport’s most famous mansion is The Breakers. It was built between 1893 and 1895 for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, one of the richest people in America, and designed by the architect Richard Morris Hunt.
The Breakers has 70 rooms, including 48 bedrooms and 27 fireplaces. The house covers nearly an acre of ground, on an estate of 13 acres.
Today it belongs to the Preservation Society of Newport County, which bought it in 1972. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1994, and visitors can tour its grand rooms.
Exploring Rhode Island
Because Rhode Island is so small, you can explore a lot of it in a short time. In a single day, you could visit the old mills of the Blackstone River Valley, walk through the streets of Providence and see the ocean at Newport.
Its beaches, islands and bay make it a favourite place for sailing, fishing and summer holidays.
Three things people get wrong
Rhode Island is not one island. Most of the state is on the mainland.
Rhode Island is not short of coastline. It has 384 miles of shoreline.
There is not one “right” size. It depends on how much water you count.
Did you know? Alaska is about 430 times bigger than Rhode Island.
Try it
Find Rhode Island on a map of the United States. Measure how wide it is with a ruler and the map’s scale.
Knowledge check
How wide is Rhode Island?
Show answer
About 37 miles (60 km) from east to west.
Is Rhode Island an island?
Show answer
No. Most of the state is on the mainland.
Frequently asked questions
How wide is Rhode Island?
Rhode Island is about 37 miles (60 km) wide from east to west, and about 48 miles (77 km) long from north to south.
Is Rhode Island the smallest state?
Yes. Rhode Island is the smallest US state by area, with 1,034 square miles of land.
Why does Rhode Island have different areas?
It depends on how much water is counted. The land alone is 1,034 square miles; with all its water it is 1,545 square miles.
How long is Rhode Island’s coastline?
NOAA says Rhode Island has 384 miles of shoreline, because the coast zig-zags around Narragansett Bay and its islands.
What is the capital of Rhode Island?
Providence is the capital and largest city. Roger Williams founded it in 1636.
Is Rhode Island an island?
No. Most of Rhode Island is mainland, though it includes islands in Narragansett Bay and Block Island in the Atlantic.
Sources
- National Geographic Kids: Rhode Island — width and length, land area, regions, capital, nickname, symbols and wildlife
- US Census Bureau: state area measurements — land, water and total area, and other states for comparison
- US Census Bureau: Rhode Island in the 2020 Census — population and growth
- NOAA Office for Coastal Management: Rhode Island — shoreline, coastal residents, the Narragansett Bay reserve and the ocean economy
- National Park Service: Roger Williams National Memorial — the founding of Providence and religious freedom; its pages on Touro Synagogue and the Blackstone River Valley were also used
- PBS NewsHour: voters change Rhode Island’s formal name — the 2020 name change and the reasons for it
