Aquidneck 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 km (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.

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