Phatthalung province

Two of the twenty-six hill temples and holy caves that Phanuwat Ueasaman recorded across six provinces of the upper south lie in Phatthalung, at Khao Ok Thalu and Khao Khuha Sawan. In that survey Hindu communities held hilltops over long periods, while Buddhists more often used a cave already in use to inter votive tablets and votive stupas.^{[7]: 39, 45}

Phatthalung was formerly known as Mardelong (Jawi: مردلوڠ) in Malay, especially during the time when the region came under Malay-Muslim influence.^[8]

Phatthalung became one of twelve royal cities during the reign of King Ramathibodi I of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 14th century. At the end of the 18th century, King Rama I submitted the city to the Ministry of Defense, which was responsible for all the southern provinces. In 1896, during the administrative reforms of King Chulalongkorn, Phatthalung became part of the Monthon Nakhon Si Thammarat. In 1924, King Rama VI ordered to move the city of Phatthalung to the present-day Khuha Sawan Subdistrict.

The provincial seal shows the 177 meter high Phu Khao Ok Thalu mountain, the symbol of the province. The provincial tree and flower is the sweet shorea (Shorea roxburghii). The provincial aquatic life is the tinfoil barb (Barbonymus schwanenfeld), also known locally as pla lam-pam (Thai: ปลาลำปำ), the eponymous of the striking local water source Songkhla Lake, or known in Phatthalung as Lam Pam Lake or Thale Noi and Phatthalung Lake.

The province is on the Malay Peninsula. It borders to the east the large and shallow Songkhla Lake, and to the west the Nakhon Si Thammarat mountain range. Khao Pu–Khao Ya National Park is at the border with Trang.^[9] Forests cover 628 km² (242 sq mi), or 16.3 percent of the province's area.^[1]

Non-hunting areas

There are a total of seven non-hunting areas in region 6 (Songkhla), of which three are in Phatthalung province.

Thale Luang Non-Hunting Area	600 km2 (230 sq mi)
Thale Noi Non-Hunting Area	457 km2 (176 sq mi)
Thale Sap Non-Hunting Area	364 km2 (141 sq mi)

Location protected areas of Phatthalung
National park   1 Khao Pu- Khao Ya   Wildlife sanctuary   2 Khao Banthat   Non-hunting area   3 Thale Luang   4 Thale Noi   5 Thale Sap

The majority of the province's populace are Thai Buddhists. Muslims account for 11.1 percent of the population. Many of Phatthalung's Muslims have some ethnic Malay ancestry, but over the centuries they had intermarried with the Thais and adopted Thai cultural norms.^[11]
Of the remaining 0.3%, the following religions are: Christianity 0.2% Sikhism 0.1% Confucianism 0.02% and Hinduism 0.2%.

• Manora or Nora (มโนราห์หรือโนรา) A local performing art in the south. It was an influence from the south of India, together with Lakhon Chatri (theatrical show by males). However, some dancing patterns were changed to match folk cultures in each province. There are 12 major dancing patterns. The patterns are done to lyrics sung by the dancers, either impromptu or composed in advance.
• Talung (ตะลุง) (shadow plays) is a popular folk performance of the south. Talung puppets are made of dried cattle hide, cut beautifully into the characters of each shadow play. The puppets are usually painted black and each of them is held firmly between split bamboo slats called "mai tap". A puppet's mouth and hands will move in accordance with the narration. A Talung ensemble comprises the puppet masters (who are also the vocalists) and a band, totalling no more than eight persons. The musical instruments include pipes, drums, phon (a special kind of drum), and a gong.
• Khaeng Phon Lak Phra (แข่งโพนลากพระ) A type of Chak Phra or Lak Phra, a religious tradition in the south, but in Phatthalung it has different characteristics from other provinces. This festival is held on the full moon of the 11th month according to the Thai lunar calendar. The festival celebrates the ending of the Buddhist lent (Wan Ok Phansa). According to local tradition, the believers carry the Buddha statues from the temples to the river and back. Several parades are held. In every parade drummers that represent one of the shrines in the city participate. In addition to the colored parades, various culture events take place like; drumming contests between the temples, dance shows, Buddha parades contests, water sports contests on Songkhla Lake, various exhibitions, etc. The type of drum used is called "Taphon" or simply "Phon". Hence the name of the festival.

Health	Education	Employment	Income
66	26	70	56
Housing	Family	Transport	Participation
50	74	19	15
Province Phatthalung, with an HAI 2022 value of 0.6242 is "low", occupies place 63 in the ranking.

Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index (HAI), a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has taken over this task since 2017.^{[3][relevant?]}

Map with provinces and HAI 2022 rankings