Ranong is on the Kra Isthmus, a narrow strip of land, only 44 kilometres (27 mi) wide,[5] that connects Thailand with the Malay Peninsula, on the west of the Phuket mountain range.

White clay mining (for the production of porcelain) and fishing are now the main industries, along with rubber and cashew nuts.

The Ngao Mangrove Forest Research Centre, also known as the Ranong Biosphere Reserve, in the north of Kapoe District, covering 189,431 rai[5] (303.09 km2), was declared in 1997.

This also gave rise to the name Ranong, which was a distorted form of rae nong (แร่นอง), meaning "full of minerals".

By then, Ranong's wealth had increased greatly and through taxation was a significant source of income for the capital, thus in 1877 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) elevated Ranong to provincial status, answering directly to Bangkok as opposed to Chumphon, with Phra Rattana Setti becoming its first governor.

[10] After the First Anglo-Burmese War, when the British assumed control of Tenasserim and the Kraburi River became the demarcation line between Siam and British-controlled Burma, Ranong became an important border city where goods were exchanged, a status that it still holds today.

Being located on the Kra Isthmus, the narrowest part (44 kilometres) of the Malay Peninsula, a proposal of a canal through the area has been long suggested, particularly by the French.

This was seen as a threat to the financial growth of the harbors of Singapore and Penang, which at the time were owned by Britain, who therefore forced the suspension of the project.

[12] Since then, plans for the canal have continued to be suggested and discussed, even in the present day, though Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said in 2018 that it was not a government priority.

Two provinces, Ranong and Trat, receive more than 4,500 mm a year making them the wettest places in the country.

[15] The provincial slogan is, "Kra Isthmus, mountain grass, cashew nut, mineral water stream, and real pearl of Ranong.

[16] As of December 2023 there are: one Ranong provincial administrative organization - PAO (ongkan borihan suan changwat - o bo cho) and 12 municipal areas (thesaban) in the province.

[16] The non-municipal areas are administered by 19 subdistrict administrative organisations - SAO (ongkan borihan suan tambon).

Its highlight, besides worshiping the Buddha, is also admiring the beauty of the stream that flows through the temple, which is also home to a large number of the rock mahseer.