Pattani Province
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1 Pattani Province Provincial Emblem Flag Province . Government Governor: Wiranan Phengchan (since October 2016) Capital: Pattani Royal capital: - Population: 686,186 (2014) Area: 1,940.4 km2 Administrative divisions Pattani is divided into 12 districts, which are further subdivided into 115 communes and 629 villages. The districts of Chana, Thepa and Saba Yoi were detached from Pattani and transferred to Songkhla in 1796 by Siam government.Mueang Trang. 1. Mueang Pattani 2. Khok Pho 3. Nong Chik 4. Panare 5. Mayo 6. Thung Yang Daeng 7. Sai Buri 2 8. Mai Kaen 9. Yaring 10. Yarang 11. Kapho 12. Mae Lan Geography Pattani is on the Malay Peninsula, with the coast of the Gulf of Thailand to the north. The south is dominated by the Sankalakhiri mountain range, which includes Budo-Su-ngai Padi National Park, on the border with Yala and Narathiwat. History The name Pattani is the Thai adaptation of the Malay name Patani, which can mean "this beach" in Patani Malay language. (In standard Malay, this would be pantai ini.) Another suggestion is that it derives from a Sanskrit word pathini, meaning "virgin nymph"; Pathini was the name of a daughter of Merong Mahawangsa, founder of the preceding Langkasuka Empire. Historically, Pattani Province was the centre of the Malay Sultanate of Patani Darul Makrif. For centuries a tributary state of Siam, Patani has been governed by Siam since its conquest in 1785. Siamese rule was officially acknowledged by the Burney Treaty of 1826 negotiated with the British Empire which included also Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu. Unlike these four sultanates, Patani was not included in the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 and remained under Siamese rule. 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 Demographics Pattani is one of the four provinces of Thailand where the majority of the population are Muslim, with the other provinces being Yala, Narathiwat, and Satun. In the 2014 census, it is stated that they make up to roughly 88 percent of its population. The strong Muslim presence in this province is partly due to the people being of Malay ancestry, with a large portion of the population being able to speak the Pattani Malay language (though most of them can still speak Thai as well). Symbols The seal of the province shows the cannon called Phraya Tani, known as Sri Pattani in Malay, which was cast in Pattani Province. It was brought to Bangkok in 1785, and is now on display in front of the Ministry of Defence in Bangkok. The provincial flower is the Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), and the provincial tree the Ironwood. .