The year in pictures is our selection of the most striking and iconic images of 2006, taking in conflict zones, wonders of nature, sporting heroes, and the lives of ordinary people.

Having trouble remembering what happened when? Our month-by-month guide to the big news stories of 2006 has it all, from the Thames Whale to the Nintendo Wii.

Test your current affairs knowledge with our 2006 news quiz. You'll need to answer 20 questions from our trivia database to stand a chance of making the leader board.

2006 was a year of highs and lows for famous faces across the globe. Find out who came out on top and who plumbed the depths in our round-up of the year's winners and losers.

We know there are 60 seconds in a minute, seven days in a week and 365 days in a year. But, throughout the course of a year, a plethora of slightly more unusual numbers and statistics come to light and 2006 was no exception.

A look back at the year's quirky news, from a fear of peas to a Geordie waking up with a Jamaican accent.

Featuring Zinedine Zidane, Kim Jong-il, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and a bunch of Royal buggers.

"The point now is how do we work together to achieve important goals. And one such goal is a democracy in Germany."

As the year draws to a close, can we honestly say we are any wiser? Of course we can, and if you're in any doubt, here are 10 things we learned in 2006.

As the year draws to a close, what better way to sum up the events of 2006 than in the words of the people who set the news agenda throughout the past twelve months?