Pattani (Thai: ปัตตานี, pronounced[pàt.tāː.nīː]; Pattani Malay: ڤطاني, 'ตานิง, Taning, pronounced[ˈtːaniŋ]; Malay: Patani) is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from southeast clockwise) Narathiwat, Yala, and Songkhla. Its capital is the town of Pattani.
The golden age of Patani started during the reign of the first of its four successive queens, Raja Hijau (The Green Queen), who came to the throne in 1584 and was followed by Raja Biru (The Blue Queen), Raja Ungu (The Purple Queen) and Raja Kuning (The Yellow Queen). During this period the kingdom's economic and military strength was greatly increased to the point that it was able to fight off four major Siamese invasions. It had declined by the late 17th century and it was invaded by Siam in 1786, which eventually absorbed the state after its last raja was deposed in 1902.
In contrast to most other provinces, the capital Songkhla is not the largest city in the province. The much newer city of Hat Yai, with a population of 359,813, is considerably larger, with twice the population of Songkhla (163,072). This often leads to the misconception that Hat Yai is the provincial capital.
Pattani province in the context of Narathiwat Province
Narathiwat (Thai: นราธิวาส, pronounced[nā.rāː.tʰí.wâːt]; Malay: Menara) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from west clockwise) Yala and Pattani. To the south it borders the Malaysian states of Kelantan and Perak. The southern railway line ends in this province, which is one of the nation's four provinces that border Malaysia. The province features a range of cultures as well as natural resources, and is relatively fertile. Narathiwat is about 1,140 kilometers south of Bangkok and has an area of 4,475 km (1,728 sq mi). Seventy-five percent of the area is jungle and mountains and has a tropical climate.
Chi Tu (also spelled Chihtu, Chitu or Ch-ih-t'u; Sanskrit: Raktamaritika or Raktamrittika; Chinese: 赤土國; pinyin: Chì-tǔ-guó; lit. 'Red Earth Country'; Malay language: Tanah Merah) was an ancient kingdom mentioned in the history of China. The Sui dynasty annals describe an advanced kingdom called Chi Tu in 607, when Chang Chun was sent as an ambassador there. The location of Chi Tu is disputed; proposals for its location include areas in the states of Kelantan or Pahang in Malaysia, or in Songkhla and Pattani Province of southern Thailand. The best evidence to support the Kelantan theory is that, when the envoys left Chi Tu, they took 10 days to sail to Champa, this indicates the kingdom was located somewhere 'red earth' around the main river of Kelantan. The inscribed Buddhagupta Stone found in Kedah mentioned a Raktamrttika, meaning "red earth land".