there are several branches of buddhism. the top buddhist branches are theravada and mahayana. i studied buddhism for a summer. i'll scrap up what i remember. lol
theravada consists of followers from mostly the southeast regions of asia (i.e., thailand, laos, cambodia, burma...whatever else...), and is the oldest of the buddhist religions. with theravada, it's all about the mind, intellect, training and discipline. there are rules and guidelines to follow in order to reach enlightenment...basically, followers are motivated by the teachings and not the supernatural art (for the most part). ultimately, it takes "you" and "you" only to be able to reach freedom from desires and "suffering". ideally, theravada is more philisophical.
mahayana consists of followers from mostly the northern parts of asia (i.e., china, japan, korea, tibet, vietnam, etc.). this branch of buddhism came after theravada like...i can't remember how many centuries later...maybe just one...forgot. some other branches of mahayana is like zen, and tibetan buddhism. with mahayana, it's majorily a reliant on superntural beliefs...you live normally, but still be "good"...not as much meditation if u are not a monk or nun...a deeper concentration on higher beings/deities, and the need to be reincarnated to help others reach nirvana. ideally, mahayana is more a religion.