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Explain what Hypertext Markup Language is.

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Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the standard markup language used to create and design documents on the World Wide Web. It provides the basic structure of a web page and is used in conjunction with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) for styling and JavaScript for functionality.

Key Features of HTML:

  1. Structure: HTML uses a system of tags or elements to define the structure and layout of a web page. For example, tags like <h1> to <h6> define headings, <p> defines paragraphs, and <a> defines hyperlinks.

  2. Elements and Attributes: HTML elements can contain attributes, which provide additional information about the element. For example, the <a> tag can have an href attribute that specifies the URL the link points to.

  3. Hyperlinks: The term "hypertext" signifies the use of hyperlinks to connect to other web pages or resources, enabling users to navigate from one location to another seamlessly.

  4. Multimedia Support: HTML supports the inclusion of images, videos, audio, and other multimedia elements using specific tags such as <img>, <video>, and <audio>.

  5. Semantic HTML: HTML5 introduced semantic elements, which give meaning to the content of a page. Tags like <article>, <section>, <header>, <footer>, and <nav> enhance the meaning of the content and improve accessibility and SEO.

  6. Cross-Platform: HTML is platform-independent, meaning web pages built with HTML can be viewed across different devices and browsers.

Basic Syntax:

HTML documents are structured in a hierarchical format, generally starting with a declaration (<!DOCTYPE html>) that identifies the document type, followed by the <html> element which encloses the entire document. Inside this, there are two main sections:

  • <head>: Contains meta-information about the document, such as its title, character set, and links to stylesheets or scripts.
  • <body>: Contains the content that is displayed on the web page, including text, images, links, and more.

Example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>My First Web Page</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to My Web Page</h1>
    <p>This is a paragraph of text.</p>
    <a href="https://www.example.com">Visit Example</a>
</body>
</html>

In summary, HTML is essential for web development, serving as the foundation for structuring web pages and documents online. It allows developers to create interactive and visually appealing content that can be accessed by users across the globe.