Q COSTA RICA — The Nicoya Peninsula, in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province, recognized as one of the world’s five official Blue Zones, is currently home to 61 centenarians and could reach 73 by the end of 2026. Among them is José Flores Flores, born on July 11, 1907, according to the Registro Civil (Costa Rican Civil Registry), whose family is seeking official recognition of him as the oldest man on the planet. If the certification is successful, Flores would surpass the current male record of 116 years by more than two years. Belgian demographer Michel Poulain, one of the creators of the “blue zone” concept, asked him if there were even more exceptional areas within Costa Rican territory. By 2010, updated analyses indicated that the original Blue Zone had shrunk to approximately a quarter of its initial size.