In Angular, templates are used to define the view of a component, which is the part of the application that the user interacts with. A template is an HTML file that is enhanced with Angular directives and binding syntax, which allows it to be dynamically updated based on the component's state.

An Angular template can contain both static and dynamic content, including text, images, buttons, forms, and other HTML elements. The dynamic content is generated by interpolating expressions or binding properties and events of the component.

There are three types of directives that can be used in an Angular template:

Structural directives: Structural directives change the structure of the HTML by adding, removing, or manipulating elements based on a condition. Examples of structural directives include *ngIf, *ngFor, and *ngSwitch.

Attribute directives: Attribute directives change the behavior or appearance of an element by manipulating its attributes. Examples of attribute directives include ngStyle, ngClass, and ngModel.

Component directives: Component directives allow you to embed other components within a template, creating a hierarchy of components that make up the application. Component directives are created using the @Component decorator.

An example of an Angular template is shown below:

<div>

  <h1>{{ title }}</h1>

  <p *ngIf="showMessage">{{ message }}</p>

  <ul>

    <li *ngFor="let item of items">{{ item }}</li>

  </ul>

  <button (click)="onButtonClick()">Click me</button>

</div>

In this template, we use interpolation to display the component's "title" and "message" properties, use the *ngIf directive to conditionally show a message based on the "showMessage" property, use the *ngFor directive to iterate over the "items" array and display a list of items, and use the (click) event binding to execute the "onButtonClick" method when the button is clicked.

Overall, templates are a crucial part of Angular and provide a powerful way to define the view of a component in a modular, reusable, and maintainable way.