Butuan, chartered city, northern Mindanao, Philippines, on the Agusan River near its mouth at Butuan Bay. A major settlement in early Spanish times, Butuan was visited by ships from Borneo and Luzon, reportedly trading for gold, cinnamon, and enslaved people. A Jesuit mission station was established there in the late 16th century. It has become the main commercial centre for the Agusan River valley and is served by an outport at Magallanes. A sprawling city, it is an important highway junction and has an airport. The city has several sawmills that service the logging industry of the interior, and it is a regional petroleum depot. Inc. city, 1950. Pop. (2000) 267,279; (2010) 309,709.