Rhode Island

Rhode Island entered the Union on May 29, 1790, as the thirteenth state. With a total area of 1,212 square miles (3,139 square kilometers), it is the smallest of all fifty states. Rhode Island is one of six New England states in the northeastern United States and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Connecticut , and Massachusetts .

The first European to visit Rhode Island was Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazano (c.1485–c.1528), in 1524. The first permanent white settlement was established in Providence in 1636 by a small group of people who had experienced religious persecution in the Massachusetts Bay Colony . Before the settlers arrived, Rhode Island was home to the Narragansett and the Wampanoag Native American tribes.

Rhode Island's economy depended upon agriculture and commerce in the early eighteenth century. The slave trade was one form of commerce, and in 1774, 6.3 percent of the state's population were slaves; this number was double that of any other New England colony. The tiny state had mostly ruled itself from the beginning, and on May 4, 1776, it was the first colony to formally renounce all loyalty to British king George III (1738–1820). Rhode Island was the last of the original thirteen colonies to join the Union.

By the nineteenth century, Rhode Island's revenue came from industrialization, immigration , and urbanization . The twentieth century saw a decrease in the number of manufacturing jobs. In the twenty-first century, health services are the leading industry, followed by tourism. Manufacturing is in third place, with a focus on jewelry, silverware, and machinery.

Rhode Island claimed nearly 1.1 million residents in 2006, the overwhelming majority (82.9 percent) of whom were white. Another 10.9 percent were Hispanic or Latino, and 5 percent were African American. The capital city of Providence was the most heavily populated, with 176,862 citizens.

Millions of people visit Rhode Island each year, primarily to enjoy water sports and historic sites.