How do i read my lens spec - EFS 18mm-55mm

Here are the specification of my EFS lens

• Length - 3 in
• Weight - 6.7 oz
• Dimensions - Diameter:Diameter -2.4 in

Lens System

• Type - Zoom lens Zoom
• Lens aperture - F/3.5-5.6
• Focal Length - 18 mm 55 mm
• Optical zoom - 3 x
• Min focus range -11 in
• Manual focus - Manual, Automatic
• Max view angle- 74.3 degrees
• Lens Construction - 9 : 11
• Filter size -58 mm
• Lens system mounting type - Canon EF-S
• Lens system features - Aspherical lens, Internal focusing system
• Equivalent 35mm focal length -28 - 90 mm
• Zoom adjustment -Manual
• Lens Coating - Coated
• Diaphragm Blades - 6
• Min View Angle - 27.8 degrees

Thats quite a bit to chew! So first thing is to know how far can i focus? This is basically focal length. You can read more about focal length, but it just says how much far can you focus. So in the above specification, 18mm and 54mm are the focal lengths in two situations - fully zoomed out (no zoom) and full zoom. This also lets you know that zoom ratio is 3. Focal Length goes 3 times its minimum - 18mm. So optical zoom is 3X. There is also something called digital zoom - which is, after u have taken a photo the pixels can be stretched to create a bigger picture - ofcourse more u stretch less the quality.
Now 18mm also fixes the minimum distance u can focus on. That is also given in the specification - 11in.