18 interesting facts about Rhode Island

  1. The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island, is a state in the New England region of the United States.
  2. The capital of South Carolina is Providence.
  3. Total Area: 50th among states, 3,188 sq km (1,231 sq mi).
  4. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area.
  5. The Touro Synagogue in Newport was completed in 1763 and is the oldest synagogue in the United States.
  6. Despite its small geographic size, Rhode Island has an extensive shoreline and mild summer climate, which contribute to its renown as a vacation state.
  7. Rhode Island borders Connecticut to the west, Massachusetts to the north and east, and shares a water boundary with New York's Fishers Island to the southwest.
  8. The first traffic law was created in 1678, when authorities banned galloping horses on local streets in Newport. In 1904, the first speeding ticket was also given in Newport.
  9. Despite the name, most of Rhode Island is on the mainland United States.
  10. Despite its dense population, 60 percent of the state is forestland.
  11. Rhode Island was the first of the thirteen original colonies to declare independence from British rule and the last to ratify the United States Constitution.
  12. Rhode Island is a primary center for jewelry manufacturing in the United States.
  13. Rhode Island's official nickname is "The Ocean State," a reference to the state's geography, since Rhode Island has several large bays and inlets that amount to about 30% of its total area.
  14. In 1524 the Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazano, while sailing for France, was the first European to explore Rhode Island. By comparing Block Island with the Mediterranean island Rhodes, he accidentally gave it its name.
  15. Rhode Island's official nickname is "The Ocean State," a reference to the state's geography, since Rhode Island has several large bays and inlets that amount to about 30% of its total area.
  16. The largest manufacturer of silverware in the world is in Providence.
  17. Rhode Island was the last of the original thirteen colonies to become a state.
  18. The first circus in the United States was in Newport in 1774.
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