diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9cc24ad94bae60..86335ab880d919 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ Node.js
 
 [![Gitter](https://badges.gitter.im/Join Chat.svg)](https://gitter.im/nodejs/node?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=pr-badge&utm_content=badge)
 
+Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. Node.js 
+uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and 
+efficient. The Node.js package ecosystem, npm, is the largest ecosystem of open 
+source libraries in the world. 
+
 The Node.js project is supported by the
 [Node.js Foundation](https://nodejs.org/en/foundation/). Contributions,
 policies and releases are managed under an