The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (Italian:[ˈkɔːzaˈnɔstra,ˈkɔːsa-], Sicilian:[ˈkɔːsaˈnɔʂː(ɽ)a]; "our thing"[3]), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a criminal society originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. It is an association of gangs which sell their protection and arbitration services under a common brand. The Mafia's core activities are protection racketeering, the arbitration of disputes between criminals, and the organizing and oversight of illegal agreements and transactions.[4][5]
The basic group is known as a "family", "clan", or cosca.[6] Each family claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town, village or neighborhood (borgata) of a larger city, in which it operates its rackets. Its members call themselves "men of honor", although the public often refers to them as mafiosi. By the 20th century, wide-scale emigration from Sicily led to the formation of mafiosi style gangs in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and South America. These diaspora-based outfits replicated the traditions and methods of their Sicilian ancestors to varying extents.
^Paoli (2014), p. 124
^"Mapping the mafia: Italy's web of criminal gangs explained". Euronews.com. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
^Pike, John (3 October 1998). "La Cosa Nostra". Federation of American Scientists Intelligence Resource Program. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022.
^Gambetta (1996)
^Gambetta (2009)
^Raab, Selwyn (2014). Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurrection of America's Most powerful Mafia Empire (1at ed.). Thomas Dunne Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-0312361815.
The SicilianMafia or Cosa Nostra (Italian: [ˈkɔːza ˈnɔstra, ˈkɔːsa -], Sicilian: [ˈkɔːsa ˈnɔʂː(ɽ)a]; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is...
to the SicilianMafia. The term has since expanded to encompass other organizations of similar methods and purpose, e.g., "the Russian Mafia" or "the...
The SicilianMafia Commission (Italian: Commissione provinciale), known as Commissione or Cupola, is a body of leading SicilianMafia members who decide...
real-life exploits of Giuliano. In 1950, Michael Corleone, the son of Sicilian-American Mafia Don Vito Corleone, is preparing to return home to America after...
derived from the original Mafia or Cosa Nostra, the SicilianMafia, with "American Mafia" originally referring simply to Mafia groups from Sicily operating...
SicilianMafia are united under a Mandamento, led by a Capo madamento, that represents the clans' bosses to the Cupola. In Sicily, there are 94 Mafia...
The SicilianMafia was less active during the era of Fascist Italy and it was fought by Benito Mussolini's government. In June 1924, Mussolini instructed...
crime group is the Mafia or SicilianMafia (referred to as Cosa Nostra by members). As the original group named "Mafia", the SicilianMafia is the basis for...
The Corleonesi Mafia clan was a faction within the Corleone family of the SicilianMafia, formed in the 1970s. Notable leaders included Luciano Leggio...
This list of victims of the SicilianMafia includes people who have been killed by the SicilianMafia while opposing its rule. It does not include people...
The Second Mafia War was a period of conflict involving the SicilianMafia, mostly taking place from 1981 to 1984 and involved thousands of homicides...
"lieutenant", is a leadership position in the Mafia (both the SicilianMafia and Italian-American Mafia). A capo is a "made member" of an Italian crime...
domestic Greek criminal organizations, the SicilianMafia, Camorra, and Albanian, Romanian and Serbian mafia groups have been operating in Greece in collaboration...
about mafia organizations all over the world: Dickie, John (8 March 2007). Cosa Nostra: A History of the SicilianMafia: A History of the SicilianMafia. Hodder...
important figures in the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco was the first ‘secretary’ of the SicilianMafia Commission, while Michele...
three brothers Jim, Sam, and Pete fled Chicago. Anthony D'Andrea was a SicilianMafia boss in Chicago's Little Italy. His closest allies were the Genna brothers...
particularly in Italian organized crime and especially in the SicilianMafia and Italian-American Mafia, often operating within a specific geographic territory...
SicilianMafia clans and the Stidda control the area. According to the 2004 New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, there were 24 active Mafia families...
A series of meetings between SicilianMafia and American Mafia members were allegedly held at the Grand Hotel et des Palmes in Palermo, Sicily, between...
The Inzerillo Mafia clan (Italian pronunciation: [indzeˈrillo]) is a SicilianMafia clan, formerly among the most powerful in Sicily, for at least half...
the SicilianMafia who came to the United States (particularly New York City) as an adult in the early 20th century. Unlike the younger Sicilian-Americans...
In the American and SicilianMafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian...
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