What is taxonomy?

Taxonomy is the science of naming, defining and classifying groups of biological organisms on the basis of shared characteristics. The process involves classification of organisms in an ordered system that indicates natural relationships. It is based on the principles of nomenclature and hierarchical classification. The taxonomy hierarchy ranges from domain, the highest classification rank, to species, the lowest rank. The main ranks in taxonomy from highest to lowest are: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.