Why is Rhode Island called Rhode Island if it isn't an island?

While Roger Williams name is often mentioned with regard to the beginnings of Rhode Island, it was actually the Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano (working for King Francis I of France) who discovered the area. read more

Rhode Island, is an island. Look at a map of Rhode Island and you will see what appears to be an Island in Narragansett bay called Aquidneck Island. That’s where Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth are. That is technically the Rhode Island in Rhode Island. the full name for Rhode Island is The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. read more

The official name of the state of Rhode Island is actually "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." While the whole state is not an island, the official Rhode Island is the island commonly referred to today as Aquidneck Island. read more

Most think the history of Rhode Island starts with Roger Williams, but the state’s “discovery” (at least by Europeans) dates back about hundred years before that to approximately 1524 and the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano (though he did most of his exploring in the name of King Francis I of France, rather than in the name of Italy). read more