Python has been an object-oriented language since it existed. Everything in Python is an object.

The easiest way to think of object-oriented programming (oop) is visually. Don't focus on the code or even the core concepts for a second. One of the classic examples is to take any object you experience in the real world and break it down. So let's start with a car.

A car can be an object, so I create a car class. Every time I make (instantiate) a new car variable I call it something else - polo, mini, beetle, ford, honda, etc...

If you go out to any parking lot or think of your drive in ... every car has different features (class variables): every car has a color, fuel, type, make, year, maxspeed. You can call different functions on this car ... return its name, set its name, calculate acceleration, etc...

More formally- we can review the basic oop terminology.

Overview of OOP Terminology

Class − A user-defined prototype for an object that defines a set of attributes that characterize any object of the class. The attributes are data members (class variables and instance variables) and methods, accessed via dot notation.
Class variable − A variable that is shared by all instances of a class. Class variables are defined within a class but outside any of the class's methods. Class variables are not used as frequently as instance variables are.
Data member − A class variable or instance variable that holds data associated with a class and its objects.
Function overloading − The assignment of more than one behavior to a particular function. The operation performed varies by the types of objects or arguments involved.
Instance variable − A variable that is defined inside a method and belongs only to the current instance of a class.
Inheritance − The transfer of the characteristics of a class to other classes that are derived from it.
Instance − An individual object of a certain class. An object obj that belongs to a class Circle, for example, is an instance of the class Circle.
Instantiation − The creation of an instance of a class.
Method − A special kind of function that is defined in a class definition.
Object − A unique instance of a data structure that's defined by its class. An object comprises both data members (class variables and instance variables) and methods.
Operator overloading − The assignment of more than one function to a particular operator