This month we travel across the country to The Ocean State of Rhode Island. The state is one of the most densely populated and heavy industrialized for its size. For a state that is only 37 miles wide and 48 miles long, it is notable that its shoreline on Narragansett Bay in the Atlantic Ocean runs for 400 miles.
Rhode Island has two distinct natural regions. Eastern Rhode Island contains the lowlands of the Narragansett Bay, while Western Rhode Island forms part of the New England Upland. The state’s forests are part of the Northeastern coastal forests ecoregion.
Narragansett Bay is a major feature of the state’s topography. There are more than 30 islands within the bay. The largest is Aquidneck Island, shared by the municipalities of Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth. The second largest island is Conanicut; the third largest is Prudence. Block island lies about 12 miles off the southern coast of the mainland and separates Block Island Sound from the Atlantic Ocean proper.
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