Aquidneck Island (or Rhode Island) is the largest island in Narragansett Bay. Its official name, Rhode Island, is used on United States Geological Survey topographic and many other maps, but it is known locally as Aquidneck Island, in part to distinguish it from the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, of which it is a part. The total land area is 97.9 km² (37.8 sq mi). The 2000 United States Census reported its population as 60,870.

The origin of the name "Rhode Island" is unclear. It may have been given its name because of its similarity in shape to the island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. Alternatively, it may have been bestowed by Dutch navigator Adriaen Block who visited the island in 1614, who may have named it Roode after the Dutch word for "red".

The conflict between the official name of Aquidneck Island and the name of the state of which it is a part causes some amount of confusion, debate and controversy, it often being noted that "Rhode Island is not an Island." It is also sometimes suggested that the name of the island be officially changed to Aquidneck Island, to avoid confusion with the state as a whole.

The city of Newport, the state's fifth-largest city, shares the island with the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth.

Educational institutions

The island is home to Salve Regina University, the Naval War College, Community College of Rhode Island, and International Yacht Restoration School.

It is also home to several private boarding schools, including: St. George's School, Newport and Portsmouth Abbey.

Bridges

The Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (1969) connects Aquidneck Island to Jamestown on nearby Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay, and subsequently to the mainland on the western side of the bay.

The Mount Hope Bridge (1929), adjacent to Bristol Ferry and Common Fence Point, connects the northern side of Aquidneck Island in Portsmouth to the mainland at Bristol. The Sakonnet River Bridge (1956) in Portsmouth, adjacent to Common Fence Point, connects the northeastern side of the island to the mainland at Tiverton over the Sakonnet River, a narrow saltwater strait. South of the Sakonnet River Bridge, in the area known as The Hummocks and Island Park, is the site of the Stone Bridge, built in 1907 on the site of an earlier wooden bridge and destroyed by Hurricane Carol in 1954. The bridges replaced long-running ferries to the mainland and other Narragansett Bay islands.