Facts and Information for Rhode Island

Map of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Refuges in Rhode Island

Reference: www.fws.gov/refuges/refugeLocatorMaps/Rhode Island.html

Official Rhode Island State Website	State of Rhode Island Office of the Secretary of State
State Capital	Providence
Origin of State Name	The first mention of the name Rhode Island or any of its variations in connection with Narragansett Bay is in the letter of Giovanni da Verrazzano, the explorer, dated July 8, 1524, in which he refers to an island near the mouth of Narragansett Bay, and likens the island to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. The official name of Rhode Island is “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations”. It can be traced in this form back to the Royal Charter of 1663, granted to the Rhode Island colonists by King Charles II of England. In the Charter, it is the “Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations”.
Joined the Union	Rhode Island became the 13th state on May 29, 1790
State Bird	Rhode Island Red Hen
State Fish	Striped Bass (morone saxatilis)
State Tree	Red Maple (acer rubrum)
State Flower	Violet
State Fruit	Rhode Island Greening Apple
State Mineral	Bowenite
State Rock	Cumberlandite
State Shell	Shellfish, commonly known as the "Quahaug" (mercenaria mercenaria)
State Motto	"Hope"
Official State License Plate Nickname	"Ocean State"
State Drink	Coffee Milk
State Flagship and Tall Ship Ambassador	USS Providence
State Yacht	The "Courageous"
State Symbol of American Folk Art	The Charles I.D. Looff Carousel (also known as the Crescent Park Carousel)
Time Zone Location	EST - Eastern Standard (GMT - 5 hours)
Population projected estimate for year 2010 based on U.S. Census 2000 results.
Male	537,034
Female	579,618
Total	1,116,652
Crime Information	Crime Statistics for 1997 - 2006
Median Household Income (latest figures available)	$46,169
Unemployment Rate	5.2
Largest Cities by Population	Providence Warwick Cranston Pawtucket East Providence Woonsocket Newport Central Falls
Cities and Towns	Rhode Island Cities & Towns
Counties	Rhode Island Counties
Major Universities	Major Rhode Island Universities
Major Rivers	Major Rhode Island Rivers
Major Lakes	Major Rhode Island Lakes
Total Land Area	1,044.93 Square Miles
Total Water Area	500.12 Square Miles
Total of Both Land And Water Area	1,545.05 Square Miles
General Coastline	40 Miles
Lowest Elevation	Atlantic Ocean; sea level
Highest Elevation	Jerimoth Hill; 812 feet

REFERENCES
• State of Rhode Island
  Office of the Secretary of State, 2/16/2008, http://www.state.ri.us/
• NWRS - Refuge Locator Map, 2/16/2008, http://www.fws.gov/refuges/refugeLocatorMaps/
• Interim Projections of the Male Population for the United States and States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2030, 2/16/2008, http://www.census.gov/population/projections/SummaryTabA2.pdf
• Interim Projections of the Female Population for the United States and States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2030, 2/16/2008, http://www.census.gov/population/projections/SummaryTabA3.pdf
• United States Crime Rates 1960 - 2006, 2/16/2008, http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm
• Rhode Island, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rhode_Island&oldid=195254157 (last visited Mar. 2, 2008).