## Hello, KeeKee here with another
episode of KeeKee's Fun Facts. Today, we're going to be
talking about Dutch windmills. When you see old paintings of the Netherlands, and
even new photos, you'll probably notice windmills. A windmill is a tall, skinny building designed
to use the blowing wind to turn large sails that turn gears inside the windmill. There used to be
nearly 10,000 in the Netherlands. So many that mills have become a symbol of the country.
Today, there are only around 1,200
left. Maybe you've seen a windmill or played with a
pinwheel yourself. It turns when you blow on it. Or when the wind hits it. A windmill works
the same way. The blowing wind makes the sails turn. Those sails are connected to the gears
inside the windmill that work like an engine to grind or mill grain into flour. This is how
the windmill got its name. The Netherlands is the world's flattest country. They don't have many
hills, so the ground gets soggy. Fields would turn into muddy lakes if
they didn't pump out the
water. A very important use for windmills was to pump water. The Dutch came up with the idea of
digging canals so the water would run out of the fields and then used mills to pump the water out
of the canals and into nearby lakes or rivers. Windmills are still in use today. Maybe
you've seen a few. Water pump mills on farms. Or you might have seen wind
turbines. Wind turbines are used to create electricity. And this is called
a wind farm. Neat, huh? And very windy
! That's all for this edition of KeeKee's Fun
Facts. I hope you've enjoyed learning about windmills and will share these fun
facts with your friends and family. Adventures Await!
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