  A complete review of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix elements and
of the experimental methods for their determination is presented. A critical
analysis of the relevant experimental results, and in particular of the most
recent ones, allows to improve the accuracies of all the matrix elements. A
chi-square minimization with the three-family unitarity constraint on the CKM
matrix is performed to test the current interpretation of the CP violating
phenomena inside the Standard Model. A complete and unambiguous solution
satisfying all the imposed constraints is found. As a by-product of the fit,
the precision on the values of the matrix elements is further increased and it
is possible to obtain estimates for the important CP violation observables $sin
2\beta$, $sin 2\alpha$ and $\gamma$. Finally, an independent estimation of the
CKM elements based on a Bayesian approach is performed. This complementary
method constitutes a check of the results obtained, providing also the
probability functions of the CKM elements and of the related quantities.
