CP violation and the CKM matrix

Our knowledge of quark-flavor physics and CP violation increased tremendously over the past five years. The Standard Model has been confirmed to correctly describe the dominant part of the observed CP-violating and flavor-changing phenomena. Not only does CP violation provide some of the most precise constraints on the flavor sector, but several measurements performed at the B-factories achieved much better precision than had been expected. We review the present status of the CKM matrix and CP violation, recollect the relevant experimental and theoretical inputs, display the results from the global CKM fit, and discuss their implications for the Standard Model and some of its extensions.