SQL (Structured Query Language) is widely used for databases due to several reasons:

1. Simplicity and Ease of Use: SQL has a straightforward syntax and is relatively easy to learn and use compared to other programming languages. It uses a declarative approach, where you specify what data you want to retrieve or manipulate without worrying about the specific steps to achieve it. This simplicity makes SQL accessible to both beginners and experienced programmers.
2. Standardization: SQL is an industry-standard language for managing relational databases. It was developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which ensures that SQL implementations across different database management systems (DBMS) maintain a certain level of compatibility. This standardization allows developers to write portable SQL code that can be used with different database systems.
3. Relational Database Support: SQL is specifically designed for relational databases, which are the most prevalent type of database systems. It provides a comprehensive set of features for defining, manipulating, and querying data stored in tables with well-defined relationships. The relational model's simplicity and flexibility, combined with SQL's support, make it an ideal choice for managing structured data.
4. Powerful Querying Capabilities: SQL offers a rich set of querying capabilities that allow users to retrieve and manipulate data with great flexibility. It provides a wide range of operations, such as filtering, sorting, aggregating, joining, and grouping data, which enables complex queries to be performed efficiently. SQL's ability to process large volumes of data and perform complex operations makes it suitable for various data analysis tasks.
5. Database Optimization: SQL is not just a language for data retrieval; it also allows developers to optimize and tune the performance of database systems. SQL provides mechanisms to create indexes, define relationships, specify constraints, and fine-tune query execution plans. These features enable database administrators and developers to optimize the performance of their database systems and improve response times for queries.
6. Integration with Programming Languages: SQL can be seamlessly integrated with other programming languages. Most programming frameworks and languages provide libraries or APIs to interact with databases using SQL. This integration allows developers to build applications that can store, retrieve, and manipulate data using SQL commands, making it a natural choice for data-driven applications.
7. Wide Adoption and Support: SQL has been around for several decades and has gained widespread adoption and community support. It is supported by numerous database vendors, which ensures a vast ecosystem of tools, resources, and expertise. This support makes it easier for developers to find solutions, get help, and leverage existing knowledge and best practices when working with SQL and databases.

Overall, SQL's simplicity, standardization, relational database support, powerful querying capabilities, optimization features, integration with programming languages, and wide adoption contribute to its status as the most widely used language for managing databases.