- Banteay Meanchey is located in the northwest of the country, bordering Thailand to the north and west. Neighboring provinces are Oddar Meancheay to the northeast, Siem Reap to the east, and Battambang to the south. To the west is the Thai province Sa Kaeo, to the north Buriram.

- Poipet is a town on the Thailand/Cambodia border. It is a key crossing point between the two countries, and also extremely popular as a gambling destination as gambling is popular, but illegal in Thailand. There is a strip of casinos and hotels between the Thai and Cambodian passport control counters, enabling Thais to gamble in Cambodia without needing to go through Cambodian immigration.

Poipet is adjacent to the city of Aranya Pratet on the Thai side of the border. The province is mostly covered by extensive lowlands, with only a few uplands to the north and east. Main rivers are the Mongkol Borei River and the Sisophon River. The area was part of the extensive Khmer empire, with its most notable remains the Banteay Chhmar temple in the north of the province, built in 12th and 13th century.

In the 17th century Siam took control over Cambodia, and made the area of the modern province part of Sisophon Province. In 1907 Siam had to cede control to the French, and it was then included into Battambang Province.

In 1988 the province Banteay Meanchey was split off from Battambang, originally consisting of the five districts Mongkol Borei, Thmar Pouk, Serei Sophorn, Preah Netpreah and Phnom Srok.