five generations of a family in Costa Rica
View of the water near Tortuga island on the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
A man farming in Costa Rica
an older woman in Costa Rica
A family celebrates childrens birthdays on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica
Family Focus

On Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, a roughly 80-mile-long finger of land south of the Nicaraguan border on the Pacific Coast, researchers identified a group of villages with a significantly higher rate of longevity than the rest of the country. Dan Buettner traveled there to explore what makes a Blue Zone in a developing country.

Centenarian Don Faustino and five generations of his family are pictured on the Nicoya Peninsula in 2007. Nicoyan centenarians tend to live with their families, and children or grandchildren provide support and a sense of purpose and belonging. —Text adapted from the National Geographic book Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest

Photograph by Gianluca Colla

Blue Zone Photos: Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

How does an isolated community on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast experience extraordinary longevity? Find out how hard work, a life plan, and some maize can lead to a longer life.

October 28, 2011

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