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Abstract:

Mongolia, the huge, land-locked country between China and the Siberian part of Russia, is one of the least densely populated places on Earth. Open to the Western world only since 1990, its population and economy are developing at an impressive speed. The literacy level of its inhabitants is 98%, though half of the population still adopts the nomadic lifestyle. In global studies of well-being, Mongolia shows up as the happiest place in Central Asia. Besides a heritage steeped in rich culture and tradition, Mongolia offers endless steppes and blue skies of such intensity that they gave the country its name. This astronomically advantageous feature, the high level of education and motivation among its young inhabitants, plus the fact that there are few observatories in Central Asia, make Mongolia a very suitable place for astronomical observations.