by 
The Curious Bag
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Glorified in movies such as "The Godfather," the Mafia are a network of individuals long associated with organized crime throughout the world.
Structure
The Mafia's hierarchy is organized in "families." Each family consists of a boss, underboss, an adviser or consigliere, capo or captain, soldiers, associates, family messenger and street boss, according to Mafiatoday.com.
Beginnings
The Mafia have their roots in organized crime in Italy and Sicily, where "Mafia" referred to someone "manly" or "bold." In America, the Mafia rose to prominence during Prohibition as gangs of thieves began bootlegging liquor.
Families
In New York, the five key Mafia groups are the Gambino, Genovese, Colombo, Bonanno and Luchese families.
Criminal Activities
The Mafia are active in drug and weapons trafficking, money laundering, labor racketeering, illegal gambling, political corruption, extortion, kidnapping, fraud, counterfeiting, murders and bombings, according to the FBI.
Membership
The FBI estimates that the Mafia have about 3,000 members and affiliates in the U.S., and 275,000 worldwide.
Source:
Resource:
FBI -- Organized Crime
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