A Hash Table (also known as Hash Map), at its core, is a data structure that allows us to store and retrieve data efficiently. If we think about a real-life analogy, it's like a library where each book (data) has a unique identifier (key) like ISBN, and all books are organized in a specific way to allow the librarian (hash function) to find and retrieve them quickly.

In other words, a Hash Table implements an associative array abstract data type (or Dictionary ADT), mapping keys to values