Garowe is the capital of Puntland State and of the Nugaal region. It sits in the Nugaal valley at about 470 metres above sea level, surrounded by plains and low plateaus.

It is home to Puntland's parliament, presidential palace and ministries. In recent years the city has grown quickly, with new paved roads, hotels and educational institutions.

In the 19th century the area was part of the Majeerteen Sultanate and later came under Italian Somaliland. After independence Garowe became a district seat and, in the early 1970s, the capital of the Nugaal region.

In 1998 a three-month constitutional conference in Garowe led to the founding of Puntland State on 1 August 1998, with Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed as its first president.

Garowe is a centre of learning: Puntland State University, which began as a small school in 1999 and became a university in 2004, has its main campus here, alongside a campus of East Africa University. The Mire Aware Stadium, with room for more than 15,000 people, hosts football and major public events.

The economy is built on government services, trade, livestock, and frankincense and myrrh gathered from wild trees. Garowe lies on the main Bosaso–Galkayo highway (about 750 km), making it a transport hub.