Country Languages spoken Cebuano, Butuanon, Filipino, English Area 816.62 km2 | Region District 1st District of Agusan del Norte Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante, Jr. (LP) Population 298,378 (2007) | |
Butuan, officially the City of Butuan (Butuanon: Dakbayan hong Butuan) and often referred to as Butuan City, is a highly urbanized city in the Philippines. The city is the regional center of the Caraga Region. It is located at the northeastern part of the Agusan Valley, Mindanao, sprawling across the Agusan River. It is bounded to the north, west and south by Agusan del Norte, to the east by Agusan del Sur and to the northwest by Butuan Bay. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 309,709 people.
Contents
- Map of Butuan
- Dotties place hotel mindanao philippines butuan city
- History
- Geography
- Economy
- Tourism
- Kahimunan FestivalThe Kahimunan Festival is celebrated every third Sunday of January in celebration of the city patron Sr Sto Nio This celebration is a Butuanon version of the Sinulog festival of Cebu City Kahimunan is a Lumad term which means gathering
- Balangay FestivalButuan celebrates its annual fiesta the Balangay Festival for the celebration of the city patron St Joseph every whole month of May with the exact feast day of St Joseph on May 19 The city holds many events such as summer league basketball championship games thanksgiving mass and more
- Cultural FestivalThe Cultural festivaltourism consciousness week is a week long celebration that lasts from the last week of July up to August 2 in celebration of the Charter Day of Butuan
- Unaw FestivalThe number one ingredient of the local delicacy of Butuan called Palagsing Found in the BaangLumbiya or Palm Trees Metroxylon sagu Rottb Baang or Lumbiya usually found at near on small river places like Barangay BaanBarangay Banzaetc The Unaw Festival usually held on Adlaw Hong Baan Tres Celebration every 3rd or 4th Week of June
- References
Map of Butuan
Butuan City was the capital of the province of Agusan del Norte until 2000, when Republic Act 8811 transferred the capital to Cabadbaran City.
Dotties place hotel mindanao philippines butuan city
History
Butuan, before its colonization, was known as the Kingdom of Butuan, an Indianized kingdom known for its metallurgic industry and sophisticated naval technology. The kingdom flourished at the 10th and 11th centuries CE, and had an extensive trade network with the Kingdom of Champa and the Srivijayan Empire.
On 1001 CE, the kingdom had established contact with the Song Dynasty of China. The annual Song Shih recorded the appearance of a Butuan mission at the Chinese imperial court, and the kingdom was described as a small Hindu country with a Buddhist monarchy, which had a regular trade connection with Champa. The mission, under a rajah named Kiling, asked for equal status in court protocol with the Champa envoy, but ultimately was denied by the imperial court. However, under the reign of Sri Bata Shaja, the diplomatic equality was eventually granted to the Kingdom, and as a result the diplomatic relations of the two nations reached its peak in the Yuan Dynasty.
Evidence of these trading links are in the discovery of 11 balangay boats around Ambangan in barangay Libertad, which was described as the only concentration of archaeological, ancient, ocean-going boats in Southeast Asia. Other evidences of the post are the discovery of a village in Libertad that specializes in gold, deformed skulls similar to reports in Sulawesi, and the discovery of many artifacts by locals and treasure hunters.
Geography
Butuan City has a land area of 81,662 hectares (201,790 acres), which is roughly 4.1% of the total area of the Caraga region.
The existing land use of the city consists of the following uses: agriculture areas (397.23 km2), forestland (268 km2), grass/shrub/pasture land (61.14 km2) and other uses (90.242 km2). Of the total forestland, 105 km2 is production forest areas while 167.5 km2 is protection forest areas.
The forestland, as mentioned earlier, comprised both the production and protection forest. The classified forest is further specified as production forest and protection forest. In the production forest industrial tree species are mostly grown in the area. The protection forest on the other hand, is preserved to support and sustain necessary ecological performance. Included in this are the watershed areas in Taguibo, which is the main source of water in the area,
The city is endowed with swamplands near its coastal area. These swamp areas are interconnected with the waterways joined by the Agusan River. Most of the swamplands are actually mangroves that served as habitat to different marine species.
Filling material needs of the city are extracted usually from the riverbank of Taguibo River. Others are sourced out from promontories with special features and for special purpose.
The fishing ground of Butuan is the Butuan Bay of which two coastal barangays are located. It extends some two kilometers to the sea and joins the Bohol Sea. These are the barangays of Lumbocan and Masao.
Economy
Butuan City is the commercial, industrial, and administrative center of Caraga region. It is a strategic trading hub in Northern Mindanao with major roads connecting it to other main cities in the island such as Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Malaybalay, Surigao, and soon, Tandag. It hosts one of the busiest airports in the country, the Bancasi Domestic Airport, serving around 525,000 passengers in 2012. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines are flying to and from Butuan City. Meanwhile, the nearby Nasipit International Port and in-city Masao Port are providing for its shipping and cargo needs.
Tourism
