HBase is a column-oriented, open-source NoSQL database management system derived from Google's Bigtable, designed to handle vast amounts of structured and semi-structured data. It features a horizontally scalable architecture, automatic failure support, and is optimized for fast querying and data processing, making it suitable for industries like telecommunications, medical, and e-commerce. HBase operates on top of the HDFS, utilizing a distributed architecture with regions managed by servers and coordinated by ZooKeeper.