Descriptive statistics is a branch of statistics that involves summarizing and describing the main features of a dataset. It provides a way to organize, summarize, and present data in a meaningful way, allowing for easier interpretation and analysis. Descriptive statistics include measures such as measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode), measures of dispersion (range, variance, standard deviation), measures of shape (skewness, kurtosis), and graphical representations (histograms, box plots, scatter plots). These statistics help to describe the basic characteristics of a dataset, such as the average value, spread, and distribution of the data.