Australia under Elizabeth II - Queen: 6 February 1952–present Chinese Zodiac - Lunar Year Series - Year of the Dog 2006 Silver 50 Cents 32 mm (15.55 grams) 0.999 Silver (0.4094 oz. ASW) Reference: KM# 1877 ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA IRB · 50 CENTS ·, Queen Elizabeth II. 2 0 0 6 狗 1/2 OZ 999 SILVER, Dog sitting (狗 = domestic dog).
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![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Dog_2.svg/230px-Dog_2.svg.png) The Dog (狗) is eleventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Dog is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 戌. The character 狗, also refers to the actual animal while 戌, also refers to the zodiac animal.
In the sexagenary cycle, 2018 (16 February 2018-4 February 2019, and every 60-year multiple before and after), is the Celestial stem/Earthly Branch year indicated by the characters 戊戌. For the 2018 Year of the Dog, many countries and regions issued lunar new year stamps. These included countries where the holiday is traditionally observed as well as countries in the Americas, Africa, Europe and Oceania. The USC U.S.-China Institute created a web collection of more than one hundred of these stamps.
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926[a]) is, and has been since her accession in 1952, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and Head of the Commonwealth . She is also Queen of 12 countries that have become independent since her accession: Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.[b]Elizabeth was born in London to the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth , and was the elder of their two daughters. She was educated privately at home. Her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive . She began to undertake public duties during World War II , serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service . In 1947, she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , with whom she has four children: Charles , Anne , Andrew , and Edward . Elizabeth's many historic visits and meetings include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland and reciprocal visits to and from the Pope. She has seen major constitutional changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation , and the decolonisation of Africa . She has also reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms . She is the world's oldest reigning monarch as well as Britain's longest-lived . In 2015, she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria , to become the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regnant in world history. Times of personal significance have included the births and marriages of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, her coronation in 1953 , and the celebration of milestones such as her Silver , Golden and Diamond Jubilees in 1977, 2002, and 2012, respectively. Moments of sadness for her include the death of her father, aged 56; the assassination of Prince Philip's uncle, Lord Mountbatten ; the breakdown of her children's marriages in 1992 (her annus horribilis ); the death in 1997 of her son's former wife, Diana, Princess of Wales ; and the deaths of her mother and sister in 2002. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and severe press criticism of the royal family , but support for the monarchy and her personal popularity remain high.
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent , the island of Tasmania , and numerous smaller islands . It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area . Neighbouring countries include Indonesia , East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians , who spoke languages grouped into roughly 250 language groups . After the European discovery of the continent by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies were established.
On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated , forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and several territories . The population of 23.6 million[5] is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated in the eastern states and on the coast. Australia is a developed country and one of the wealthiest in the world, with the world's 12th-largest economy . In 2012 Australia had the world's fifth-highest per capita income . Australia's military expenditure is the world's 13th-largest . With the second-highest human development index globally , Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, health, education, economic freedom , and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. Australia is a member of the United Nations , G20 , Commonwealth of Nations , ANZUS , Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization , Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation , and the Pacific Islands Forum.
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