Java is an object-oriented programming language that was first released in 1995. It is widely used because it is platform independent, secure, and has features like automatic garbage collection and multithreading. Some key features of Java include its support for object-oriented concepts like inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation. Java code can run on any device because it is compiled to bytecode, which can be run by a Java virtual machine regardless of the underlying hardware or operating system. The document promotes a company called Chetu that provides custom Java development solutions and includes their contact information.