Complex sentence: Rhode Island is the smallest in area, the eighth least populous, and, following New Jersey, the second most densely populated of the 50 U.S. states; its official name is also the longest of any state in the Union.
Split into simpler sentences: Rhode Island is the smallest in area, the eighth least populous, and the second most densely populated, following New Jersey, of the 50 U.S. states. Its official name is also the longest of any state in the Union.