Rhode Island is the smallest of all the 50 states in the US covering a total area of 1,212 sq mi (3,139 sq km), of which land comprises 1,055 sq mi (2,732 sq km), and inland water 157 sq mi (407 sq km).Rhode Island occupies only 0.03% of the total US area, and could fit inside Alaska, the largest state, nearly 486 times.

Rhode Island is surrounded on the North and East by Massachusetts; on the South by the Atlantic Ocean; and on the West by Connecticut. There are 38 islands in all and three large islands—Prudence, Aquidneck, and Connecticut—are situated within Narragansett Bay. The largest island is Aquidneck with an area of about 45 sq mi (117 sq km).