Rhode Island Information
Rhode Island, abbreviation RI, is an island-shaped state in Narragansett Bay. The island is also known as Aquidneck Island. However, the island is not the entire State. The part that is attached to the mainland is also called Providence Plantations. In terms of area, Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States of America.
For obvious reasons, the nickname of the State is “the Ocean State”. Providence is the capital. The most famous place in Rhode Island is Newport. See all cities in Rhode Island.
Newport is a luxury seaside town where the wealthy elite of the East Coast often spend the summer. Of course, an island on the Atlantic Ocean is an ideal place if you want to sunbathe on the beach.
Geography
Rhode Island is located in the northeastern United States on the Atlantic Ocean. The state is named after Rhode Island, an island off the Rhode Island Sound and Narragansett Bay, south of the capital Providence. The state has a relatively long coastline and is not called “the ocean state” for nothing. The state measures a maximum of 60 kilometers from east to west and 75 kilometers from north to south. The island of Block Island also belongs to the state. Rhode Island is mostly flat and densely forested.
History
In 1636 the first group of settlers arrived: individualists and sectarians from Massachusetts. Their leader was Roger Williams, who founded Providence. A second group founded Portsmouth in 1638 and Newport followed in 1639, Warwick in 1643. These four branches united in 1647 under a charter obtained by Roger Williams in 1644. This was renewed in 1663. The colony acquired a very individual character, because complete freedom of religion was introduced. It thus became a refuge for Baptists and Quakers in particular.
The revival came in the 18th century, mainly through trade and agriculture. Rhode Island played an important role in the Revolution and already on May 4, 1776, the inhabitants declared their independence from England. The spirit of individualism was so strong that in 1787 people would not resign themselves to the new Constitution; it was not accepted until three years later, and Rhode Island was the last of the original thirteen colonies to join the Union.
A small oligarchy of merchants controlled politics and held back all democratization in the 19th century, against which Thomas Dorr rebelled in 1840–1842. His attack on the capital failed, but his demands to expand the right to vote were granted by the state government.
Economy
Rhode Island’s economy is based primarily on services, especially semi-government and financial institutions. The manufacturing industry used to be more important than today, but is still of some importance. The economy is heavily based on that of the capital Providence. There is also some tourism along the coast. The state has long had an unfavorable tax environment, with the highest taxes in the United States, but the tax level has been reduced somewhat since 2010 to allow the state to better compete with other states in the region.
| Abbreviation: | RI |
| Nickname: | Ocean State |
| Joined the US as the 13th state on: | 29 mei 1790 |
| Capital city: | Providence |
| Census: | 1.051.302 |
| Surface: | 4005 km² |
| Geography: | Bordering Massachusetts and Connecticut |
| Governor: | Gina Raimondo |
| state motto: | Hope |
| California official website: | ri.gov |
