For many years, palm oil has proved to be the most productive, highest yielding oil crops, with a yield 4 to 10 times higher than any other vegetable oil, a factor that has helped palm oil become the most consumed vegetable oil in the world. This chapter provides an overview of oil palm cultivation and palm oil production throughout the world, with a particular focus on Indonesia and Malaysia, and describes the growth of the palm oil industry and the nature of the global market for palm oil. The chapter also addresses the diverse ecological and social impacts of palm oil and suggests the directions that palm oil production might take in the future.