An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located.

In Russia, the term is applied to the inhabited localities which serve as a seat of government of entities of various levels. The only exception to this rule is the republics, for which the term "capital" is used to refer to the seat of government. The capital of Russia is also an entity to which the term "administrative centre" does not apply. A similar arrangement exists in Ukraine.