$Packages

$Packages gives a list of the contexts corresponding to all packages which have been loaded in your current Mathematica session.

$Packages is updated when BeginPackage is executed.

$Packages is used by Needs to determine whether a particular package needs to be loaded explicitly.

See The Mathematica Book: Section 2.6.9.

See also: Contexts, $ContextPath, DeclarePackage, $ExportFormats.