Is the difference between an island and a cay, that the island can be lived on and a cay is too small?

looney_tunes

No, cays can be large enough to have a resident population. They are defined by their mode of formation (and subsequent susceptibility to erosion). A cay (also spelled caye or key) "is a small, low-elevation, sandy island formed on the surface of coral reefs. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans (including in the Caribbean and on the Great Barrier Reef and Belize Barrier Reef), where they provide habitable and agricultural land for hundreds of thousands of people. Their surrounding reef ecosystems also provide food and building materials for island inhabitants. ... Cays are formed when ocean currents transport loose sediment across the surface of a reef to a depositional node. ... If the accumulated sediments are predominantly sand then the island is called a cay whereas if they are predominantly gravel the island is called a motu." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cay Feb 15 10, 1:11 PM