C++ is an extension of C that was developed in the early 1980s by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs. It is a versatile language suitable for large programs like compilers, databases, and complex applications. A C++ program structure includes include files, class declarations, member function definitions, and a main program function. C++ supports basic data types like integers, characters, floats, arrays, pointers, references, user-defined types, structures, unions, classes and enumerations.