The south is dominated by the Sankalakhiri mountain range, which includes Budo-Su-ngai Padi National Park, on the border with Yala and Narathiwat.

[8] Historically, Pattani province was the centre of the Malay Sultanate of Patani Darul Makrif.

[9] Siamese rule was officially acknowledged by the Burney Treaty of 1826 negotiated with the British Empire which included also Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu.

Both Yala (Jala) and Narathiwat (Menara) were originally part of Patani, but were made provinces in their own right during the territorial administrative reform and the creation of a united centralized Siam state in the early-20th century.

[citation needed] Pattani is one of the four provinces of Thailand where the majority of the population are Muslim, the others being Yala, Narathiwat, and Satun.

As of 26 November 2019 there are:[11] one Pattani Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 17 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province.

The non-municipal areas are administered by 96 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).

[12] Pattani is the only province in Thailand where the agriculture ministry prohibits trawlers and destructive fishing nets within four nautical miles of the shoreline.

According to data from Ministry of Tourism and Sports in 2018, the total number of tourists who visited the province was only 20,000–30,000, and consisted of mostly Thai people.

[3] As of 2018[update], the provisions of Thailand's Internal Security Act remain imposed on Mae Lan District.