Perl is a high-level, general-purpose programming language renowned for its powerful text-processing capabilities and flexibility. First released in 1987, Perl was designed to make report processing easier but quickly became popular for a wide range of tasks, including system administration, web development, and network programming. Its syntax is expressive and allows programmers to write concise code for complex tasks. Perl supports both procedural and object-oriented programming, making it adaptable to various coding styles. Its extensive library of modules and active community have contributed to its continued relevance, especially in fields that require robust data manipulation and scripting.