# UNDERSTANDING THE WHAT AND WHY OF HTML To understand what HTML is we need to understand the why abouts of the fabled HTML and to achieve that we need to talk about the web. The web or World Wide Web is an interconected system of sharing resources, documents and information accessed through the use of the internet, browsers and other tools. These information and docuemnts to be shared resulted in the birthing of HTML, a common universal medium through which data and information can be share amongst users. **WHAT IS HTML?** Hyper Text Markup Language abbreviated as HTML is a the basic building block or underlying foundation of every webpage. Although having language in its title does not categorically make it a programming language. This is a markup language and not a programming language. This uses markup to endcode data to be displayed on the browser. For a language to be a programing language, it needs to posses logic and HTML lacks in that aspect as it is mainly used for presentation of data. **HTML STRUCTURE** The HTML syntax or structure is made up elements which are marked up `"< >"` and enclosed in an opening and closing tag and on rare ocassions, self closing tags. Opening and closing tags: `<body>content</body>` `<div>content</div>` closing a tag is done by inputing a forward slash(/) in the end tage or a closing tag is identified with a forward slash in its end tag. Self closing or empty tags: ``` <img> <br> or <br /> ``` **UNDERSTANDING THE HTML DOCUMENT.** To have a better understanding of what the HTML document is, I prefer the approach of refering to it as an empty canvas or not note book unpon which impressions are made, in this case, letters, symbols and the likes. These impressions are done using the standard markup structure of the HTML and anything outside of the markup is even if displayed on our browser, is not recoginzed. Modern browsers these days make corrections to mistakes we make in HTML and that is why it always seems like HTML forgives but in truth, it is just an empty note book that returns whatever we write down. **CONCLUSION** Understanding HTML, its structure, elements and semantics gives us a better understanding of developing sophisticated web pages. However simple and straight forward it may seem, HTML is vast and provides and almost infinite methods of approaching web development.