A mafia is a type of organized crime syndicate whose primary activities are protection racketeering, arbitrating disputes between criminals, and brokering and enforcing illegal agreements and transactions. Mafias often engage in secondary activities such as gambling, loan sharking, drug-trafficking, prostitution, and fraud.
The term Mafia was originally applied only to the Sicilian Mafia and originates in Sicily, but it has since expanded to encompass other organizations of similar methods and purpose, e.g., the Russian Mafia or the Japanese Mafia. The term is applied informally by the press and public; the criminal organizations themselves have their own terms (e.g. the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia refer to their organizations as Cosa Nostra; the Japanese Mafia calls itself Yakuza; and Russian Mafia groups often call themselves Bratva).
When used alone and without any qualifier, Mafia or the Mafia typically refers to either the Sicilian Mafia or the It