To the west lie the limestone mountains of the Phuket range, largely enveloped in forest, home to the renowned Khao Sok National Park.

The eastern part of the province sees the commencement of the Nakhon Si Thammarat (or Bantat) mountain range, a portion of which is preserved within Tai Rom Yen National Park.

The city of Chaiya, located in modern-day Surat Thani, is home to several archaeological ruins from the Srivijaya period, indicating its historical significance.

There is a belief among some Thai historians that Chaiya may have served as a regional, or possibly even the primary capital of the Srivijaya kingdom, although this assertion remains a subject of scholarly debate.

The administrative headquarters of Surat Thani Province were originally housed in a building located in Tha Kham, within the Phunphin District.

The provincial seal of Surat Thani prominently features the pagoda of Wat Phra Borommathat Chaiya, a historic structure believed to have been constructed approximately 1,200 years ago.

[9] The design of the provincial flag incorporates the image of this pagoda, set against a background divided horizontally with orange on the top half and yellow on the bottom.

Asian green arowana (Scleropages formosus) is the provincial aqualtic life because the Cheow Lan Lake in the Rajjaprabha Dam, part of Khao Sok National Park, is the last natural habitat in Thailand for this endangerous living fossil freshwater fish.

[10] The slogan of the province is "เมืองร้อยเกาะ เงาะอร่อย หอยใหญ่ ไข่แดง แหล่งธรรมะ" (Mueang roi ko, ngo aroi, hoi yai, khai daeng, laeng thamma), which translates to "city of 100 islands, delicious rambutan, big shells, red eggs, the center of Buddhism".

The reference to the "center of Buddhism" highlights important religious sites within the province, including Wat Phra Borommathat Chaiya and Suan Mokkhaphalaram.

As of 26 November 2019 there are:[11] one Surat Thani Provincial Administration Organisation (ongkan borihan suan changwat) and 40 municipal (thesaban) areas in the province.

Rambutan cultivation in Surat Thani traces its roots back to 1926, initiated by Chinese Malay Mr. K. Vong in the Ban Na San District.

The province celebrates its rambutan production with an annual fair held in early August, featuring a parade of elaborately decorated floats on the Tapi River.

Surat Thani Province is renowned for its unique local products, notably the hand-woven silk cloth originating from the coastal village of Phum Riang in the Chaiya District.

For this specialty, ducks are fed a diet of crabs and fish, and their eggs are subsequently preserved in a mixture of soil and salt, lending them a distinctive flavor and color.