The <section> element is new to html5. It is used to carve the page up into different thematic parts. It is used to seperate parts of the page that have different themes or purposes; such as the main content area from the comments from advertising areas of the page. The <section> is Sectioning Content; which defines the scope of headers, footers, and contact information; that is it creates a new level of importance for items created within as related to all items contained within the section.