C language is a general-purpose programming language that was developed in the 1970s by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs. It is one of the most widely used programming languages and serves as the foundation for many other programming languages. C language is known for its efficiency, portability, and low-level programming capabilities, making it suitable for system programming and developing software applications. It allows programmers to write efficient and concise code and provides access to low-level memory manipulation. C language is often used for developing operating systems, embedded systems, game development, and various other applications.