Pattani is located on the north of the Malay Peninsula, beside the coast of the Gulf of Thailand in the north. Historically Pattani used to be as an independent Malay kingdom, but was annexed by the Kingdom of Siam in 1909. Both Yala and Narathiwat were originally part of Pattani, but were split off and became provinces of their own. There exists a separatist movement in Pattani, which occasionally results in violence.
