Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Samut Sakhon, Ratchaburi, and Kanchanaburi.

The chedi is a reminder of the long vanished Dvaravati civilization that once flourished here and by tradition Nakhon Pathom is where Buddhism first came to Thailand.

Monsoon season runs from May through October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.

[6] Nakhon Pathom Province centuries ago was a coastal city on the route between China and India; due to sedimentation from the Chao Phraya River, the coastline moved much farther to sea.

King Mongkut (Rama IV) ordered the restoration of the Phra Pathom Chedi, which was then crumbling and abandoned in the jungle.

[8] Major settlement of the province included immigration beginning in the reign of King Buddha Loetla Nabhalai (Rama II), which included Khmer villages (e.g., Don Yai Hom), the Lan Na-populated (Baan Nua) and Lao Song villages (e.g., Don Kanak), as well as a major influx of southern Chinese in the late-1800s and early-1900s.

Today Nakhon Pathom attracts people from all over Thailand, most notably from Bangkok and Isan, plus Burmese migrant workers.

The province includes industrial zones, major university towns, government offices relocated from Bangkok, and agricultural and transport hubs.

The provincial seal shows Phra Pathom Chedi, at 127 meters the tallest pagoda in the world.

As of 10 October 2020 there are: one Nakhon Pathom Provincial Administrative Organization - PAO (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and twenty-six municipal (thesaban) areas in the province.

[2] The non-municipal areas are administered by 91 Subdistrict Administrative Organizations (SAO) (ongkan borihan suan tambon).