An ongoing dilemma for the mutants of the Marvel Universe is the search for a home that will keep them safe from mankind. Hated by homo sapiens, the homo superior species is always in danger, and have been, on more than one occasion, on the brink of extinction. To have a nation of their own, away from the angry eyes of humanity, would be a great relief to the mutants.
From time to time they have found that home on the island nation of Genosha. Though it hasn't always been a welcoming place for mutants, things have changed over the years and the leadership of Genosha has changed with it, often by force. Aside from the X-Mansion in West Chester, New York, there may be no more important piece of land to mutant-kind than Genosha. But this little island has a whole lot of history to keep track of.
10 The Great Sin Of Wealth
The island republic of Genosha, located on the eastern coast of Africa, became one of the richest countries in the modern world. Like many of the richest countries in the modern world, Genosha gained its wealth through a horrible sin - slavery. But where other nations used the people of Africa to gain their riches, Genosha found another source of slave labor; mutants. The citizens of Genosha were tested for the mutant gene, and if a test came back positive, that citizen was stripped of their rights and used as servants for the homo sapiens of Genosha.
9 The Sugar Man And The Genegineer
With their powers, many mutants would likely be able to fight off their slavers. To handle this problem, Genosha used the Infinites technology given to them by Sugar Man, who himself was a mutant. The Infinites technology removed free will from the mutants of Genosha and altered their abilities to better serve the country's needs.
David Moreau, known as the Genegineer, was put in charge of testing Genoshans and implementing the Infinites tech when needed. Moreau called this the mutate-process, and called the mindwiped mutants "mutates." Genosha kept their treatment of mutants a secret for years until, in a foolish move, Moreau sent Genoshan Magistrates to kidnap Wolverine, Rogue, and Madelyne Pryor, alerting the X-Men to the realities of mutant life on Genosha.
8 The Era Of Cameron Hodge
A one-time roommate of the X-Man called Angel and a friend to mutants, Cameron Hodge soon revealed himself to be the leader of "The Right" an anti-mutant organization that had attempted to kidnap and use the vibrational powers of Rictor to cause an earthquake in Manhattan that could be blamed on mutants.
When the Right collapsed, Hodge escaped to Genosha and created a plan to lure all the X-teams to the island where they could either be turned into mutates or killed. When Hodge killed New Mutants teammate Warlock on TV, the world's powers saw the need to intervene and keep Genosha from committing genocide.
7 The Cortez Revolution
After the X-Men put an end to Cameron Hodge's plans, Genosha found itself in a period of upheaval. Mutants were no longer slaves on the island, but they were not treated as equals either. The island found itself engulfed in riots and battles, some led by Magneto and his Acolytes. X-Factor intervened and helped restore order to Genosha. For many mutants and mutates, the calm was not enough and, under the leadership of Fabian Cortez, they rebelled. Cortez and his mutant army murdered the heads of the Genoshan government, leading to a civil war on the island.
6 The Reign Of Magneto
When the United Nations wanted to find a way to keep Magneto from attacking more humans, they agreed to his demands and handed over the island of Genosha to him. Magneto turned the country, once the most horrific place for mutants, into a nation for his brethren. While some of the humans still on Genosha tried to rebel, they were quickly defeated. With a country of mutants behind him, Magneto announced his plans to conquer the world. The X-Men stepped in and put a stop to Magneto's plans, but did not take him away from the people of Genosha.
5 The Rise Of Cassandra Nova
After his latest plans to rule the world were ruined by Professor X and the X-Men, Magneto became content to live out the rest of his days as the leader of the only mutant nation on the planet. He and his government worked to turn Genosha into a utopia that would rival Wakanda.
Sadly, the peace would not last. Cassandra Nova, the sister of Professor X, sent an armada of Sentinels to Genosha and reduced the island to rubble. Magneto appeared to die in the attack. The few who did survive were evacuated and the Brotherhood of Mutants turned the island into a memorial for the millions of mutants who were killed.
4 Genosha Reborn
As happens in comics, Magneto ended up not being dead. Together with Professor X, the Mutant Master of Magnetism rebuilt Genosha. After House of M, Magneto lost his mutant powers but remained the leader of Genosha, though the island was mostly deserted. The Collective, led by Xorn - who had once pretended to be Magneto - came to Genosha and offered to give Magneto his powers back so that he could finally take over the planet. Magneto refused their offer and in return, the Collective nearly killed him. The comatose Magneto was taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody for safety and Genosha was abandoned.
3 Necrosha
With Magneto gone, the mutant Selene Gallio and her followers, The Inner Circle, headed to Genosha and used the Techno-Organic virus to resurrect the millions of dead mutants on Genosha. Then, using a mystic ritual, and completing it before X-Force was able to stop her, Selene absorbed the souls of the reanimated mutants, making her a god. Even though she had reached godhood, X-Force was able to kill Selena and free the souls she had absorbed. After the battle, Elixir, a member of X-Force, chose to stay on Genosha to properly rebury the dead.
2 Genosha Reborn Again
The Red Skull attempted to turn Genosha into a concentration camp for mutants, but he was stopped by the Uncanny Avengers. Magneto then returned to Genosha to once again try and make it a safe place for mutant-kind. During the rebuilding, the Terrigen Mist cloud swept over Genosha and killed many of the people helping Magneto, but this did not dissuade him.
Magneto completed the rebuild of Genosha and turned it into a base for his own team of X-Men consisting of Psylocke, M, Sabretooth, and Archangel. When the Dark Riders attacked Genosha, Magneto chose to sink the island rather than let it once again fall into the hands of his enemies.
1 The Cotati Base
Most recently, it was revealed that a risen Genosha was being used by the Cotati as a base to launch an attack on Wakanda as part of their plan to take over the universe as the Empyre. The Cotati who were stationed on Genosha never got the chance to face off against Black Panther and the warriors of Wakanda; they were all killed by the mutant zombies on the island. The only reason anyone even knows the Cotati were on Genosha is because Angel, Magik, Multiple Man, and M were sent to check on the Genoshan gate to Krakoa.