The Sicilian Mafia, also known as simply the Mafia and frequently referred to by its members as Cosa Nostra ("our thing"), is an Italian, Mafia-terrorist-type, organized crime syndicate originating in the region of Sicily, dating to the 19th century. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organisational structure and code of conduct. The basic group is known as a "family", "clan", or cosca. Each family claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighbourhood (borgata) of a larger city, in which it operates its rackets. Its members call themselves "men of honour", although the public often refers to them as mafiosi. The Mafia's core activities are protection racketeering, the arbitration of disputes between criminals, and the organizing and oversight of illegal agreements and transactions. By the 20th century, following wide-scale emigration from Sicily, the organization acquired a strong presence in other countries in North and South America.
