  A general method to determine covariant Lyapunov vectors in both discrete-
and continuous-time dynamical systems is introduced. This allows to address
fundamental questions such as the degree of hyperbolicity, which can be
quantified in terms of the transversality of these intrinsic vectors. For
spatially extended systems, the covariant Lyapunov vectors have localization
properties and spatial Fourier spectra qualitatively different from those
composing the orthonormalized basis obtained in the standard procedure used to
calculate the Lyapunov exponents.
