The Java programming language is a versatile and widely used language known for its portability, security, and platform independence. It was created by James Gosling and first released by Sun Microsystems (now owned by Oracle Corporation) in 1995. Java is an object-oriented, high-level, and strongly typed language with several distinctive features:

1. Platform Independence: One of the most significant features of Java is its platform independence. Java code is compiled into an intermediate bytecode that can run on any system with a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), making it truly “write once, run anywhere.”

2. Object-Oriented: Java is a pure object-oriented language, which means that everything in Java is an object, including classes and primitive data types. Object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts like encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism are central to Java’s design.

3. Strongly Typed: Java is a strongly typed language, which means that variable types must be declared explicitly, and type compatibility is strictly enforced by the compiler. This helps catch type-related errors at compile-time.

4. Garbage Collection: Java includes automatic memory management through garbage collection. It automatically deallocates memory when objects are no longer in use, reducing the risk of memory leaks.

5. Security: Java has built-in security features, including a sandbox environment for running untrusted code. This makes it a popular choice for web applets and applications that need to run in potentially untrusted environments.

6. Standard Library: Java comes with a vast standard library (Java Standard Library or Java API) that provides pre-built classes and methods for various common tasks, such as I/O, networking, data structures, and GUI programming.

7. Multithreading: Java has native support for multithreading, allowing developers to create and manage concurrent threads easily. This is crucial for building responsive and scalable applications.

8. Exception Handling: Java has a robust exception handling mechanism that allows developers to catch and handle exceptions gracefully, preventing application crashes.

9. Rich Ecosystem: Java has a rich ecosystem of tools, frameworks, and libraries for various application domains, including web development (e.g., Java EE, Spring), desktop GUI development (e.g., JavaFX, Swing), and mobile app development (e.g., Android).

10. Community and Documentation: Java has a large and active developer community, providing extensive documentation, forums, and resources for learning and problem-solving.

11. Backward Compatibility: Java maintains a strong commitment to backward compatibility, ensuring that older Java code continues to run on newer versions of the language.

12. Open Source: The reference implementation of the Java platform is open source and governed by the Java Community Process (JCP), allowing various organizations and individuals to participate in its development.