Java is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that is widely used for developing a wide range of applications, from mobile and web applications to enterprise software and video games. Java is known for its "Write Once, Run Anywhere" principle, which means that a Java program can be written on one platform and run on many other platforms without modification.

Java is a statically-typed language, which means that the data type of a variable must be explicitly defined at the time of declaration. This can make Java code more readable, and also prevent certain types of errors. Java also has a large standard library that provides a wide range of built-in functionality, such as collections, networking, and XML parsing.