Southern Thailand

The south are famed for its islands It includes the famed resort city of Phuket, which seaboard orients toward the west of the Andaman Sea, and in Pattani, which faces east towards the Gulf of Thailand.

Southern Thailand is connected with Bangkok by railroad track as well as highway.  Also various regional airports are located in the largest towns. The main axis of the transportation of southern every Thailand is Hat Yai, which have evolved from a small village to the present city inside just a few decades.

The region is currently facing ethnic strife between the local muslim and buddhist population. Travellers are advised to be cautious when mvoing around provinces such as Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani.

History

In the first millennium Chinese chronicles mention several coastal cities or city-states, however they don't give exact geographical location, so the identification of these cities with the later historical cities is difficult. The most important of these states were Langkasuka, usually considered a precursor of the Pattani kingdom; Tambralinga, probably the precursor of the Nakhon Si Thammarat kingdom, or P'an-p'an, probably located at the Bandon Bay. The cities were highly influenced by Indian culture, and have adopted Brahman or Buddhist religion. When Srivijaya extended its sphere of influence, those cities became tributary states of Srivijaya.

After Srivijaya lost its influence, Nakhon Si Thammarat became the dominant kingdom of the area. During the rule of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great of Sukhothai, Thai influence first reached Nakhon Si Thammarat. According to the Ramkhamhaeng inscription Nakhon was even a tributary state of Sukhothai. During most of the later history Nakhon became a tributary of Ayutthaya.

The deep south belonged to the Malay sultanates of Pattani and Kedah, while the northernmost part of the peninsula was under direct control of Bangkok.