 aquidneck island, located in the u.s. state of rhode island, is the largest island in narragansett bay. the island's official name is rhode island, and the common use of the name "aquidneck island" helps distinguish the island from the state. the total land area is . the 2000 united states census reported its population as 60,870. aquidneck island is home to three towns, from north to south geographically; portsmouth, middletown and newport. ==history== english colonists first settled on present-day aquidneck island in 1638 in the region called by the natives "pocasset" (meaning "where the stream widens"), the northern part of portsmouth. at one time, aquidneck island was controlled by the wampanoag, whose leader was the sachem massasoit. traditionally, massasoit greeted the pilgrims at plymouth, massachusetts in 1621. aquidneck island was used primarily as a hunting territory although it was probably a summer residence as well. as many as nine in ten of the wampanoags were killed by the epidemics brought to north america by the europeans in 1617â1619. the narragansetts, who were unaffected by the diseases, fought for and obtained control of aquidneck island and other places. the wampanoags regained control over their territories. a group of european settlers engaged roger williams in 1638 to negotiate the terms of their purchase of the island from a sachem named miantonomi. the
Islands_of_Rhode_Island Landforms_of_Newport_County,_Rhode_Island Narragansett_Bay