  The search for the origin of cosmic rays is as active as ever, mainly driven
by new insights provided by recent pieces of observation. Much effort is being
channelled in putting the so called supernova paradigm for the origin of
galactic cosmic rays on firmer grounds, while at the highest energies we are
trying to understand the observed cosmic ray spectra and mass composition and
relating them to potential sources of extragalactic cosmic rays. Interestingly,
a topic that has acquired a dignity of its own is the investigation of the
transition region between the galactic and extragalactic components, once
associated with the ankle and now increasingly thought to be taking place at
somewhat lower energies. Here we summarize recent developments in the
observation and understanding of galactic and extragalactic cosmic rays and we
discuss the implications of such findings for the modelling of the transition
between the two.
