The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (commonly known as Rhode Island) is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is the smallest state by area, and it is also the state with the longest official name. Rhode (pronounced ''Road'') Island was the first of the thirteen original American colonies to declare independence from British rule, signaling the start of the American Revolution. The state's common name, Rhode Island, actually refers only to the largest island in Narragansett Bay, also known as Aquidneck Island...