Rhode Island, official name State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is the smallest state by area, and the 8th smallest by population. Its official name is the longest official name of any U.S. state. Rhode Island was the first of the thirteen original American colonies to declare independence from British rule, signaling the start of the American Revolution; it was also the first state that engaged in armed hostilities with British property and authorities. Rhode Island did not participate in the Philadelphia Convention and was also the last of the original thirteen states to ratify the United States Constitution.

Despite its name, most of the state of Rhode Island lies on the North American mainland. Providence Plantations refers to the mainland, while Rhode Island was the 17th and 18th century name for Aquidneck Island (now composed of the city of Newport, and the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth).

Rhode Island has long held the nickname of "Little Rhody", though the state has officially adopted the nickname of "the Ocean State," as nearly one tenth of Rhode Island's inland area is covered by salt water, and no part of the state is more than a 45-minute drive from the water's edge.