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The Relationship Between HTML and CSS

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) are two of the core technologies used for building web pages. HTML provides the structure of the page, while CSS is used to control the visual appearance of the website. In this article, we will explore the relationship between HTML and CSS in detail.

What is HTML?​

HTML is used to create the basic structure of a web page. It uses tags to define elements such as headings, paragraphs, links, images, and more. Here's a simple example of an HTML document:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>My First Web Page</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Hello, World!</h1>
    <p>Welcome to my first web page.</p>
</body>
</html>

In the above example, <h1> is an HTML tag used for the main heading, and <p> is used for a paragraph.

What is CSS?​

CSS is used to style the HTML elements. It provides a wide range of styling options, allowing you to control layout, colors, fonts, and more. Here's a simple example of CSS:

body {
    background-color: lightblue;
}

h1 {
    color: navy;
    font-size: 2em;
}

p {
    color: black;
    font-size: 1em;
}

In the above example, body, h1, and p are selectors that select HTML elements to apply styles to. The CSS properties (like background-color, color, and font-size) define how the selected elements should be styled.

The Relationship Between HTML and CSS​

HTML and CSS work together to create a complete web page. HTML is responsible for the structure, while CSS takes care of the presentation.

Imagine building a house. HTML is like the bricks and mortar that provide the structure of the house, while CSS is like the paint and decorations that make it visually appealing.

When a web browser displays a web page, it first reads the HTML to construct the structure of the page. Then it applies the CSS to style the elements.

To link CSS to an HTML document, you can use the <link> tag inside the <head> section of your HTML document, like so:

<head>
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="styles.css">
</head>

In the above example, styles.css is the CSS file that contains all the styles for the HTML document.

Conclusion​

Understanding the relationship between HTML and CSS is crucial for web development. HTML provides the structure of a web page, while CSS is used to style and layout the web page. By mastering these two languages, you can create dynamic and stylish web pages.

In the next sections, we will delve deeper into CSS and learn more about its powerful features. Stay tuned!