Mitosis is the process in which a cell duplicates its chromosomes to generate two identical cells. It is generally followed by cytokinesis which divides the cytoplasm and cell membrane. This results in two identical cells with an equal distribution of organelles and other cellular components. Mitosis and cytokinesis jointly define the mitotic (M) phase of the cell cycle, the division of the mother cell into two sister cells, each with the genetic equivalent of the parent cell. Mitosis occurs most often in eukaryotic cells.
In multicellular organisms, the somatic cells undergo mitosis, while germ cells — cells destined to become sperm in males or ova in females — divide by a related process called meiosis. Prokaryotic cells, which lack a nucleus, divide by a process called binary fission.