Most Expensive Homes In The World 2006

n Hong Kong, they gaze over the glittering city from the heights of the Peak. In Africa, they harbor elephants and lions. In Australia, they lie on the beach, of course.

The most expensive homes in the world may not seem to have much in common besides price--and even those vary greatly, from $100 million-plus palaces in England and the United States to grand houses priced under $10 million in South Africa.

But they do share common locations, in ghettos of wealth such as the Hamptons, the Côte d'Azur and Australia's Gold Coast, or business centers like New York and London. And the most luxurious residences in the most desirable locations share a shifting international pool of buyers, people who cross countries and oceans to get the homes they want.