Python is a versatile, object-oriented programming language that can be used for web development, data analysis, and more. It has a simple syntax and is easy to read and learn. Key features include being interpreted, dynamically typed, supporting functional and object-oriented programming. Common data types include numbers, strings, lists, dictionaries, tuples, and files. Functions and classes can be defined to organize and reuse code. Regular expressions provide powerful string manipulation. Python has a large standard library and is used widely in areas like GUIs, web scripting, AI, and scientific computing.