Buluan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Maguindanao. It is one of the oldest town in Maguindanao. It is rich in history, being one of the two old commercial and trading centers when the Rio Grande River was the primary mode of transport (the other one is Dulawan, now called Datu Piang).

According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 51,098 people in 9,501 households. Its population is highly dependent on the resources of Buluan Lake and the Buluan River, which is one of the feeders of Liguasan Marsh.

The population is almost exclusively Muslim and is the oldest municipality in the region. Known for its beautiful and productive lake that is shared by another municipality, Lutayan, in the Province of Sultan Kudarat. It is not therefore surprising that the major source of livelihood is farming and fishing.

On December 30, 2006, two new municipalities were created out of Buluan namely: Mangudadatu and Pandag, losing 8 barangays to each of the two new towns.

Buluan is politically subdivided into 7 barangays.

Characterized by a more or less even distribution of rainfall throughout the year, the coldest months in the province are December and January. The warm season is from March to June.