A relational database model is a way of organizing and managing data in a database using a structure based on relations and their relationships.
Essential terms in the relational database model include relationship, relation schema, relation instance, attributes, constraints, domain, data type, degree, tuple, and cardinality.
The characteristics of a relation include unique attribute names, unique tuples, consistent domain for each column, no inherent order of rows and columns, atomic values in each column, defined domain for each attribute, and allowance of NULL values.
Understanding these terms and characteristics is crucial for developing a deeper understanding of relational database management systems and effectively working with data.