  The cubic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation is one of the most-studied
nonlinear equations in the physics community.
  It describes a vast variety of phenomena from nonlinear waves to second-order
phase transitions, from superconductivity, superfluidity and Bose-Einstein
condensation to liquid crystals and strings in field theory. Our goal is to
give an overview of various phenomena described the complex Ginzburg-Landau
equation in one, two and three dimensions from the point of view of condensed
matter physicists. Our approach is to study the relevant solutions to get an
insight into nonequilibrium phenomena in spatially extended systems.
