Butuan
| City of Butuan | |||
| Location of Butuan City in the Agusan del Norte province | |||
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| Basic data | |||
| Region : | Caraga | ||
| Province : | Agusan del Norte | ||
| Barangays : | 86 | ||
| District: | 1. District of Agusan del Norte | ||
| PSGC : | 160202000 | ||
| Income class : | 1st income bracket | ||
| Households : | 50.273 May 1, 2000 census
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| Population : | 337.063 August 1, 2015 census
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| Population density : | 412.4 inhabitants per km² | ||
| Area : | 817.28 km² | ||
| Coordinates : | 8 ° 57 ′ N , 125 ° 32 ′ E | ||
| Postal code : | 8600 | ||
| Area code : | +63 85 | ||
| Mayor : | Ronnie Vicente C. Lagnada | ||
| Website: | Butuan City Official Website | ||
| Geographical location in the Philippines | |||
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Butuan City is the center and seat of the Caraga District Government (Region XIII) in the Philippines . The city is located in the northwestern part of the Agusan Valley, a plain in the northeast of the island of Mindanao , which is crossed by the Agusan River .
Origin of name
It is believed that the name Butuan derives from a sour fruit called Batuan . Other etymological sources suggest that the city's name comes from a tribal prince named Datu Buntuan , who formerly ruled the Butuan area.
The students, on the other hand, believe the name comes from the word But-an , which literally describes a person who has an astute character.
geography
The city is bordered to the north, west and south by the province of Agusan del Norte and to the east by Agusan del Sur . In the northwest lies the coastal region with the Bay of Butuan , part of the Mindanao Sea . In the north there is the border with Tagana-an municipality, in the west it borders Sison, in the south it borders Tubod and Bacuag, while in the east the Hinatuan Passage extends.
A city of half part of the island belongs Masapelid, which includes three barangays of Butuan are, and the three smaller islands Tinago, Banga and Mahaba.
The city stretches along the Agusan River . The city center is about nine kilometers from the mouth of the river and is surrounded in the north and on the sea side by flat areas that are used as rice cultivation area. In the southwest there is a hilly landscape around Mount Mayapay. In the east towers both the majestic Hilong Hilong with a peak height of 2012 meters and the Diwata Mountains , which protect the entire lowlands from the winds of the Pacific.
Butuan City has a total area of 816.62 km², which makes up around 4.1% of the total area of the Caraga district . With an estimated total population of 350,000, it has an average population density of 428 people per km², which is significantly higher than the district's average density of 101 people / km².
About 48.6% of the urban area (397.23 km²) is used for agriculture, 32.82% (268 km²) is forest, 7.49% (61.14 km²) is grass, bush and pasture land and the rest of 90.242 km² is built on or used for other purposes. 105 km² of the forest area is used for forestry, while 167.5 km² are under nature protection.
Large parts of the urban area are marshland on the coast. These wetlands are connected to one another by the course of the Agusan River . Most of this area is mangrove covered, home to various species of marine creatures.
The fishing grounds of Butuan are located in the Bay of Butuan , on the coast of which there are two districts, Lumbocan and Masao. The bay has an extension of two kilometers and is part of the Mindanao Sea .
Language and religion
The dialects Surigaonon and Butuano are the mother tongues of most of the city's residents. In second place is Cebuano and the third is the dialect Boholano.
The dominant religion is Roman Catholic, followed by the Independent Philippine Church and the Iglesia-ni-Cristo Community.
Barangays
Butuan City is politically divided into 86 barangays .
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history
According to the Chinese historian Song Shi and the finds from the archaeological excavation site on Agusan, the region around Butuan had a trade relationship with the Kingdom of Champa in the south of what is now Vietnam and the trade empire Srivijaya on Java as early as the 10th century .
In the 11th century, Butuan was the trading and commercial center of the Philippines. The best evidence for this is the discovery of nine balangays (Asian longboats) and other archaeological finds near Butuan City, specifically in Ambangan, Libertad near the old El Rio de Butuan and the Masao River, which indicate a high culture at this time close.
The village of Butuan was originally located in Pinamanculan on the banks of the Masao River, one kilometer from what is now Barrio Libertad. However, this place was not ideal for a settlement as it was often flooded. For this reason, the people moved to Baug, today's municipality of Magallanes, and settled at the mouth of the Agusan . They later moved on to Lapaca, now known as Linungsuan, in Barrio Banza, about three miles from the river. Since the flood hit them steadily there, too, the people finally settled in the area of today's city center.
The biggest discussions and differences of opinion are about the location of the first Christian mass, which was held by Ferdinand Magellan in the Philippines. It either took place in Limasawa , in the province of Southern Leyte , or in the Masao district of Butuan City. What is certain is that Magellan anchored at the mouth of the Agusan River and held a mass here in 1521 to celebrate this event.
It is difficult to determine when the name Butuan first appeared. What is certain is that the name Agusan did not establish itself until the province of the same name was formed in 1914. Before that time, the entire area was known simply as Butuan.
The first local election took place during the American administration of the country in March 1902. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II , Butuan was razed to the ground when a group of guerrillas attacked the enemy garrison in 1943 and fought fierce skirmishes. On October 20, 1948, the rebuilt community was destroyed again by a fire.
The soaring of the timber industry during the 1950s to the mid 1970s made Butuan the Timber City of the South . Triggered by this boom, many fortune seekers from other provinces came to the area. The former tranquil place quickly transformed into a busy and bustling town. The flourishing timber industry and the associated increase in population prompted congressman Marcos M. Calo to apply for the conversion of Butuan into a city. On August 2, 1950, Butuan was raised to the status of a notarized city in the Philippines under Republic Act No. 523.
On February 7, 1985 Butuan City was reclassified and given the status of a highly urbanized city. This reclassification, which was based on population and income, made Butuan politically independent from the surrounding province of Agusan del Norte .
economy
The timber industry is the main economic factor of Butuan City. The production and trade in timber made the place an important city in the south of the Philippines. Most of the 23 major producers of outsize and timber of the province of Agusan del Norte are headquartered in Butuan City.
The location on the Mindanao Sea , the access to the heartland of Mindanao via the Agusan River and the historical tradition as a trading center make the city an important national center of the island state.
The fertile river plain of the hinterland and the coast with the cultivation of crops and rice as well as the livestock make the agricultural sector to another factor, and a backbone in the economic importance of the city.
On the coast, fishing is the main source of income for city dwellers. The fishing grounds in the river and in Butuan Bay provide a rich and varied range of salt and freshwater fish and various seafood.
Tourism is an emerging economic factor. The river, the Kahimunan festival, the historical finds and the Maypay mountain are supposed to make the city interesting and raise the profile of Butuan.
traffic
Butuan City has its own commercial airport, Bancasi Airport, with regular domestic flights to Cebu and Manila . In addition, the city is located on the AH26 trunk road, which is also known as the Pan-Philippine Road . From the Butuan Integrated Bus Terminal , a little north of the city center , as well as the directly neighboring Van and Jeepney Terminals, there are numerous local and long-distance transport connections to all of Mindanao, as well as long-distance bus routes far north, for example to Manila. In August 2017, a second bus terminal, the Butuan Transport Terminal , was opened in the city. This is directly adjacent to the Robinson's Place Butuan mall , which was expanded in the same year and is the only full-service mall in the region. With the Masao Port, Butuan City also has its own seaport, which is, however, very small and is of little importance in cargo handling and of no importance at all in passenger traffic. A far larger share of the sea traffic with the city is handled via the seaport of Nasipit , which is only about 25 kilometers away . Ferries from Cebu and Manila also regularly dock here.
climate
The climate of the urban area corresponds to climate type III without any particular rainy season, but heavy rains from November to January, when the arms of the monsoons and the northwest winds graze the area. The driest months are between March and September.
The average rainfall is 381.5 cm with an average of 216 rainy days a year. The temperature is between 25.6 ° C and 31.4 ° C, with an average humidity of 84%. Although typhoons rarely hit the urban area, there was destruction from tropical storms in 1912, 1964 and 1984.
Attractions
- The Agusan River, Mindanao's longest navigable river
- The Balangay-Shrine Museum, where an excavated longboat type Balangay is issued
- The Butuan Regional Museum
- The Mayapay mountain (675 m high)
- The Kahimunan Festival on the Agusan River
- The Abayan Festival
Web links
- Butuan City by Gerard Piepenbrock
- butuan city portal
- The story of Butuan City from the Agusan – Surigao Historical Archive ( Memento from December 7, 2001 in the Internet Archive )
swell
- Page no longer available , search in web archives: National Statistics Office, Republic of the Philippines: Final Result - 2010 Census of Population
- National Statistical Coordination Board
Individual evidence
- ↑ inquirer.net: RLC expands Butuan Mall , accessed on May 19, 2018
- ↑ Statistics from the Philippine Port Authority for 2016 (English), accessed on March 18, 2017