The Geography of Rhode Island
Click here for a few definitions.
| Longitude / Latitude |
Longitude: 71° 8'W to 71° 53'W
Latitude: 41° 18'N to 42° 1'N |
|
| Length x Width |
The smallest state in the union, Rhode Island is about 40 miles long and 30 miles wide. |
|
Geographic Center
Explanation |
The
geographic center
of Rhode Island is located in Kent County, 1 mile SSW of Crompton.
Longitude: 71° 34.6'W
Latidude: 41° 40.3'N |
|
| Borders |
Rhode Island is bordered by Massachusetts
on the north and on the east. On the south, Rhode Island is bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean. On the west, Rhode Island is bordered
by Connecticut. |
| Total Area |
Rhode Island covers 1,545 square miles, making it the smallest of the
50 states. |
| Land Area |
1,045 square miles of Rhode Island are land areas. |
| Water Area |
500 square miles of Rhode Island are covered by water. |
| Highest Point |
The highest point in Rhode Island is
Jerimoth Hill, in Foster,
at a mere 812 feet above sea level. |
| Lowest Point |
The lowest point in Rhode Island is sea level where Rhode Island
meets the Atlantic Ocean. |
| Mean Elevation |
The Mean Elevation of the state of Rhode Island is 200 feet above sea level. |
| Major Rivers |
Sakonnet River |
| Major Lakes |
Scituate Reservoir |
The Land |
| Much of Rhode Island is woodland; lowlands in the south and rolling hills in the
north and the west. The state can be divided into two geographic regions; the Coastal
Lowland in the south and east, and the Eastern New England Upland in the northwest.
The Coastal Lowland of Rhode Island is part of the larger Coastal Lowland
Region that covers the entire New England coast. These lowlands cover more than
half of the mainland and the islands of
Narragansett Bay. West of
Point Judith are
sandy beaches, lagoons,
and salt ponds. To the east of
Narragansett Bay, the landscape
is characterized by low, rounded slopes with few trees. To the west of
Narragansett Bay, the Rhode
Island slopes are more rugged and support more forested woodlands.
The Eastern New England Upland covers the northwestern corner of Rhode
Island; about 1/3 of the state. Sometimes called the Western Rocky Upland, this
region of Rhode Island is marked by rolling hills and higher elevations. The land
rises from about 200 feet above sea level in the east to over 800 feet above sea
level in the northwest. The highest point in Rhode Island,
Jerimoth Hill, lies in the
northwest corner of Rhode Island. Many small lakes and ponds nestle among the hills
of the Eastern New England Upland.
( Rhode Island Close-up ) |
| Climate (All temperatures Fahrenheit) |
| Highest Temperature |
The highest temperature recorded in Rhode Island is 104°, Fahrenheit. This record high
was recorded on August 2, 1975 at Providence. |
| Lowest Temperature |
The lowest temperature in Rhode Island, -25°, was recorded on February 6, 1996 at Greene. |
| Average Temperature |
Monthly average temperatures range from a high of 81.7 degrees to a low of 20.0 degrees. |
| Climate |
Average yearly precipitation for Rhode Island, from 1971 to 2000, is shown on
this chart from Oregon State University. |
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