The main principles and characteristics, functions and tasks, structure and elements, legal basis and laws of functioning of the system of state and municipal administration are considered. The emphasis is on the system of state and municipal administration of the Russian Federation. A detailed description of the forms of state structure and government, political regimes and models for building federal relations is given. The branches and institutions of state power in Russia, the peculiarities of the implementation of territorial state administration and local self-government are described.