"After discovering that there are longevity hot spots where people tend to live especially long, writer Dan Buettner spent the last 12 years locating and documenting these areas, dubbed “blue zones.” “I increasingly was interested in mysteries that dealt with the human condition,” says Buettner, a National Geographic fellow."

Blue Zones have been a hot topic for several years now:

http://pandawhale.com/post/17927/blue-zones-9-secrets-to-live-a-long-life