Rhode Island comprises two main regions – the New England Upland Region and the Seaboard Lowland. The New England Upland Region occupies western two-thirds of the state and is rough and hilly and marked by forests and lakes. The Seaboard Lowland, with its sandy beaches and salt marshes, occupies the eastern third. The highest point in the state is Jerimoth Hill, at 812 ft (248 m), in the northwest.

Blackstone is Rhode Island’s main river and flows from Woonsocket past Pawtucket and flows into the Providence River, which, like the Sakonnet, is an estuary of Narragansett Bay. The Pawcatuck River flows into Block Island Sound.