Kat+Martindale

The **Mafia** (also known as "Cosa Nostra") is a Sicilian criminal society which is believed to have emerged in late 19th century Sicily, and the first such society to be referred to as a mafia (although it is not the first organized criminal society to appear in Italy). It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct. Each group, known as a "family", "clan" or "//cosca//", claims sovereignty over a territory in which it operates its rackets – usually a town or village or a part of a larger city. Offshoots of the Mafia emerged in the United States, Canada, and in Australia during the late 19th century following waves of Italian emigration. However, outside Italy the term "Mafia" is also employed to name any organization operating under a similar structure, whether Sicilian or not; such as the Camorra, the 'Ndrangheta or the Sacra Corona Unita, as well as foreign organized groups such as the Russian Mafia.