What is an embassy?

Question

is it like a building, or a town or what?

Answer 1

Embassies represent foreign governments in a country. The role of embassies is to protect the interests of the country that the embassy is representing, protect the interests of its nationals, to negotiate between the representing country and host country, to develop relations (economic, cultural and scientific) and to promote friendliness between the nations.

Embassies are also known as High Commissions if the hosting and sending nation are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Outside of capital cities, many countries set up consulates, which perform similar tasks and duties to embassies, in major cities. Countries which are not recognised by the hosting nation are also referred to as either "Representative Offices" or "Economic and Cultural Offices".

Under international law, embassies, high commissions, consulates or any other diplomatic mission enjoy exterritorial status. This means that they are technically part of the representing country and are exempt from local law and abide by their representing country. The hosting country may not enter the sending country without permission.

Answer 2

An embassy is where a government represents itself in a country othar than its own.  Embassies are located in buildings in capital cities throughout the world.  They provide visas and services to their citizens who are in a foreign country.  For instance, if an American traveling abroad is arrested in France, he most certainly would want to contact the American Embassy in Paris.  There are also "mini embassies" called consulates in other major cities like New York and San Francisco.