Sands Key is an island north of the upper Florida Keys

Florida Keys

The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...

 in Biscayne National Park

Biscayne National Park

Biscayne National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southern Florida, due east of Homestead. The park preserves Biscayne Bay, one of the top scuba diving areas in the United States. Ninety-five percent of the park is water. In addition, the shore of the bay is the location of an extensive...

. It is in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Miami-Dade County, Florida

Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...

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It is located in lower Biscayne Bay

Biscayne Bay

Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...

, between Elliott Key

Elliott Key

Elliott Key is the northernmost of the true Florida Keys , and the largest key north of Key Largo. It is located entirely within Biscayne National Park, in Miami-Dade County, Florida, east of Homestead, Florida...

 and Boca Chita Key

Boca Chita Key

Boca Chita Key is an island north of the upper Florida Keys in Biscayne National Park. It is in Miami-Dade County, Florida.It is located in Biscayne Bay, just north of Sands Key....

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History

Earlier names for the island were "Las Tetas", "The Paps", "Pownal Kay", "Pownall Island", "Restinga de Las Tetas" and "Saunder's Key".

"Las Tetas" is Spanish for "breasts". The island was most likely called this due to two hills, perhaps Indian mounds located there. Bahamians

The Bahamas

The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...

referred to the island as "Saunder's Key".