Historic Butuan City is located on the mouth of Agusan River in the northeastern coast of Mindanao Island. It is the gateway to the vast Agusan Valley. The city is bounded on the north by Butuan Bay and the town of Magallanes, on the east by the province of Agusan Del Sur, on the south by the municipality of Las Nievas, and on the west by the municipality of Buenavista. The city is home to archaeological sites where ancient artifacts were found. These artifacts, dating back to the 4th century (320 A.D.), are now housed in the city's museums. With these findings, it is believed that Butuan is the oldest urban settlement in the Philippines.

Butuan City has a total land area of 816.6 square kilometers which makes it larger than Metro Manila and some provinces (see comparison). Terrain is generally flat. Almost one-half of the area is devoted to agriculture while more than 1/3 are forest and grass lands. The city is subdivided into 87 barangays with 60 of them classified as rural areas. In these areas, farming and fishing are the main economic activity. Rice, corn, and coconut are the chief farm products. The city has a thriving food processing industry.

The city celebrates the Abayan Festival in honor of its patroness - Senora Sta. Ana. This festival features fluvial parade, street dancing, trade fair, cultural presentations, and beauty pageant.

The city is an ideal location for regional or provincial branches of big companies. Farm-related businesses especially feed milling and food processing have great potential for growth. As the trading hub of Agusan Del Norte, it would do well to invest in the real estate potential of the city especially in the new development site in the western part of the city. Finally, the presence of many institutions of higher learning makes it imperative to jumpstart the technological ascendance of this city by investing in business process outsourcing and other technology related ventures.

1. Balanghai Shrine Museum - contains archaelogical treasures such as the balanghai or wooden boats.
2. National Museum Branch - contains a replica of the Golden Tara, a solid gold figure
3. Diocesan Museum - houses antique religious artifacts
4. Rizal Park
5. Almont Inland Resort
6. Bood Promontory - provides a good view of Butuan Bay and is believed to be the site of the first mass in the Phillipines

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