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 Forklift Masts Rhode Island - Rhode Island or the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations is a US state situated in the New England region of the nation, and is by area, the smallest state within the nation. Rhode Island is bordered by Massachusetts towards the east and north and the state of Connecticut towards the west, and it shares a water boundary with New York's Long Island to the southwest.
Rhode Island was the first amongst the 13 original colonies to declare independence from British rule, declaring itself independent on May 4, 1776, a couple of months before any other state and the convention. The state of Rhode Island was likewise the last to approve the United States Constitution.
"The Ocean State" is Rhode Island's official nickname, a reference to the geography of the state. There are numerous big bays and inlets within the state that total to 14 percent of its entire area. The land area is around 2706 km2 or 1,045 square miles, with a total area which is significantly bigger. The state of Rhode Island covers an area of around 1,214 square miles or 3,140 km2 and is surrounded on the west by Connecticut, on the north and east by the state of Massachusetts, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and Rhode Island Sound. It shares a narrow maritime border with the state of New York between Long Island and Block Island. Rhode Island's mean elevation is 200 feet or60 m. Called the Ocean State, the state of Rhode Island has a number of oceanfront beaches. It is mostly flat with no real mountains, and Jerimoth Hill is the state's highest natural point, 812 feet or 247 m above sea level.
The early economy of the state's history included a base in farming and fishing, which upon independence became manufacturing and shipping respectively. The total gross state product of the state during 2000, ranked 45th in the nation at $33 billion. Its 2000 per capita personal income was $29,685, 16th in the country. Rhode Island has the lowest level of energy consumption per capita of any state.
The head office of Citizens Financial Group, the 14th largest bank in the United States, is situated within Providence. The Fortune 500 companies Textron and CVS Caremark are based in Providence and Woonsocket, respectively. FM Global, GTECH Corporation, American Power Conversion, Hasbro, Nortek, and Amica Mutual Insurance are all Fortune 1000 companies which are based within Rhode Island.
The largest business in the state of Rhode Island is Health Services. Tourism ranks second with about 39,000 jobs, leading to related sales of around $3.26 billion in the year 2000. Manufacturing ranks as the third-largest trade within Rhode Island. Rhode Island's industrial outputs are costume jewelry, fabricated metal products, machinery, electrical equipment, boatbuilding and shipbuilding. The agricultural outputs of the state are nursery stock, vegetables, eggs and dairy products.
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