Here's why:
* Conjunction: It connects words, phrases, or clauses.
* Coordinating: It connects elements of equal grammatical rank (e.g., two nouns, two verbs, two adjectives, or two clauses).
Here are some other examples of coordinating conjunctions:
* For
* Nor
* But
* Or
* Yet
* So
These are often remembered with the acronym FANBOYS.