While Rhode Island is nicknamed "The Ocean State", its official name is The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.  It is derived from merging of the two original colonies of Rhode Island, centered on what is now Newport, and Providence Plantations, where Providence sits today.  "Providence" refers to divine providence and "Plantations" derives not from any reference to slavery, but to a British word meaning colony.

Interestingly, while it was the first of the original thirteen colonies to declare independence from Britain on May 4, 1776, it was the last to ratify the Constitution of the United States.  In terms of area, it is the smallest state in the US, but it is the second most densely populated.  It is 1,214 square miles in extent, of which about 14% is water, hence the nickname, with a population only just over one million.  It was the first state in North America to pass a law prohibiting slavery on May 18, 1652.  It is also considered to be the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. 

Brown University is the oldest, and probably the best known, in the state having been founded 1764, in Providence.  Dating to before the American Revolution, it was known originally as the "College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations".  There are a number of others including Salve Regina University based in Newport, Roger Williams University and the State University of Rhode Island. 

Vacations - Rhode Island

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