As an association of criminals with a common ethnic heritage, the groups comprising the Cosa Nostra are united by social and business ties. The clandestine nature of their operations, the people involved, and the lack of government regulation has created an industry more subject to custom than to rules. Yet this criminal industry is regulated by geography. Areas are exploited according to human resources, advantages of site and situation, and by distances from home bases. Political alliances occur that more advantageously allign territories, withdrawals have been made from areas in which local operators are too powerful to control, and (in one case) a lucrative disputed area has become a neutral zone. Consequently, the spatial problems and solutions of Cosa Nostra operations in New Jersey have a familiar ring. Inherently, they are no different than those of other legitimate businesses or of colonial enterprises in their economic geography. While the number of Italian-American organized criminals has always been small, it may be decreasing as more move into the mainstream of American society. However, new actors are arising to take their place and no end appears likely for regionally based criminal organizations. 51 references. (Author abstract modified)