1. Backbone.js is a lightweight JavaScript library that adds structure to client-side code and makes it easy to manage concerns in an application. 2. It uses an MVC pattern with models to manage data, views to manage the UI display, and routers to manage client-side pages and links events to actions. 3. Backbone.js dependencies include Underscore.js and either jQuery or Zepto, but it does not replace jQuery which handles DOM interactions and events.