ANDORRA LA VELLA , Andorra ( CNN ) -- Getting to Andorra , a tiny country wedged in the mountains between France and Spain , is no easy feat . No airport , no train station , and the nearest city Toulouse is at least a 2 hour drive away . Andorra , a beautiful mini-country in the Pyrenees , offers its residents a peaceful life . Perhaps that 's part of the secret of this tiny principality high up in the Pyrenees Mountains : that its quiet isolation has created a relatively stress-free life-style which has made them the world champions in the global longevity sweepstakes , at least according to the latest U.S. Census Department estimates . The average Andorran today can expect to live at least 85 years -- longer than anywhere else on the planet . Meeting Andorrans from all walks of life , it soon becomes clear that the concept of living longer was not on everyone 's mind , but the idea of living well and living healthy came up in nearly every conversation . From doctors in town to the elderly shepherd in the mountains , they speak of eating good natural food and of the exercise which comes naturally in walking up and down the hillsides . Dr. Albert Font , Director of Andorra 's Geriatric Clinic , is convinced that living in the mountains is , in general , healthier both for mind and body : `` It 's because we have this natural environment that we have such a balanced health , '' he told CNN . Watch a report on the secrets of long life in Andorra » . Elderly Andorrans have a daily routine that would put much younger people in the shade : outside their Assisted Living Residence , a group of about 30 senior citizens in their 80 's and 90 's out for a cold morning 's walk went slowly but surely and easily negotiated two or three flights of stairs built into the mountainside . After that 'warm-up ' most of them headed for the gym for stationary bike riding and exercise class . Diet and nutrition awareness also seems to play a role in keeping Andorrans alive and healthy . Nestled in valleys between France and Spain , there is very little cultivatable land and strangely enough , tobacco seems to be one of the few crops raised on the little farmland in the country . But meat , vegetables and fish from its larger neighbors make their way to the dinner tables in Andorra , resulting in a high-altitude version of the Mediterranean diet so many strive for elsewhere . But even in this land-locked little country , times are changing and the older generation worries that the slow invasion of fast food and the passivity of video games and the like , may have a negative impact on the life expectancy of the young . Seventy-six-year old farmer Pierre Font Vergas remembers the days when just taking his herd of cattle to pastures and back home again would easily mean hiking 30 kilometers ( 18 miles ) up and down the mountain trails each day . A new lifestyle has come to the principality , the old farmer told CNN . Skiing and tourism are the country 's new profit centers , life is getting increasingly stressful , more people are eating fast food instead of the traditional diet and not getting enough exercise , he added . It would seem that the secrets to long life in Andorra are not really secrets at all . They are well documented . Good health care , clean water , proper diet , plenty of exercise and a low-stress , positive life . However , there 's one other thing to consider when trying to understand the Andorran 's penchant for life and living long : the feeling of community and an unusual closeness to friends and family . Filming at an elderly care home , it was full of families including young children spending an hour or two on a weekday with an aged parent or grandparent . And even to stop to ask a question or a direction , people seemed to know about everything and everyone else in the country . Some might find that intrusive , or even boring . But there seemed to be a marked sense of peace in the way people here see life . Dr. Font thinks there is a specific reason for that sense of happiness in Andorra : `` We do n't have any violence . I think it 's one of the safest countries in the world . '' `` And after all , '' one Andorran told CNN , `` unlike the rest of Europe , we have n't been touched by a war in more than 700 years . ''
The average person lives 60 years , longer than anywhere else on the planet . The tiny country is wedged in the middle between France and Spain . Health and nutrition seems to play a role in keeping Andorrans alive and healthy .