C++ is an object-oriented programming language used to create a wide range of applications. It was created in the 1980s by Bjarne Stroustrup at AT&T Bell Laboratories by adding object-oriented programming capabilities to the C language. C++ supports features like classes, inheritance, and templates which allow for modular and reusable code. A C++ program consists of preprocessor directives, namespaces, a main function which contains the main logic, and utilizes variables, data types, operators, and control structures like if/else statements and loops to control program flow.