The 2006 Kuril Islands earthquake was the largest in 2006 at 8.3 on the moment magnitude scale.
Other significant earthquakes in 2006 struck Iran, Taiwan, China, Argentina, and Tajikistan.
Note that an increase in detected earthquake numbers does not necessarily represent an increase in earthquakes per se.
Population increase, habitation spread, and advances in earthquake detection technology all contribute to higher earthquake numbers being recorded over time.
For exact dates and live earthquakes please visit USGS's Global Earthquake Search Page and Real-time Earthquake Map or EMSC's Real-time Seismicity.