Java is a popular object-oriented programming language. It was developed by Sun Microsystems in 1995 and is considered a robust, secure, and portable language. Some key features of Java include being platform independent, object-oriented, and having automatic memory management. Java code is compiled to bytecode that runs on a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The JRE provides the runtime environment for Java applications. Common applications of Java include desktop programs, web applications, and enterprise software. Objects in Java are instances of classes that have state and behavior.