What is a key characteristic of high-level programming languages?

High-level programming languages are designed to provide a level of abstraction that allows developers to write code more easily and readably, without needing to understand the intricacies of the underlying hardware. This abstraction leads to the key characteristic of high-level languages being their independence from specific hardware. This means that code written in a high-level language can often be executed on different types of machines with little to no modification, provided there is an appropriate compiler or interpreter available.

The independence from hardware allows developers to focus on problem-solving and application development rather than dealing with complex hardware-specific instructions, enhancing productivity and making programming more accessible. This principle is crucial as it enables software compatibility across various systems, promoting portability and code reusability.