is a section element is just a formatted div? and are many of the newly introduced tags in HTML5 are just formatted divs?

Question

It seems to me that many of the newly introduced tags in HTML5 are just formatted divs or some sort of derivative with added classes? is this is really the case?

Answer 1

Nowadays most people (me included) use often use div elements as a container for everything. Yet other container tags for specific purposes should be preferred if they make sense. A nav bar should use nav elements, a section should be implemented with an article or a section tag.
This doesn't change to look and feel for most people however it helps the browser to understand your website and to improve accessibility.
The MDN is a good resource, too:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/section
E.g. look at the usage notes and examples at the end :)