| Using remotely sensed images obtained by Landsat MSS, TM and ETM sensors from the years of 1978,
1987, 1996 and 2007, supported by GIS, the spatial- temporal changes of land use in arid regjions of central Ningxia were analyzed from 19782007 . The results showed that the urban areas had most prominent increase, with a change rate up to 58.03%, the change rate of cultivated land was 1.61%. Forest land, grassland, water bodies, unused land, and deserts had the tendency of declining, with change rate of -1.08%，-0.06%，-0.52%，-0.76%, and -1.34%， respectively. Centroids of various land use types have moved under combined effects of natural forces and hu-man activities during the last three decades. Overall， the spatial centroids of cultivated land, grassland, urban areas and water bodies expanded southwestward, while forest land and unused land expanded nort hwestward. Deserts， on the other hand expanded southeastward. The degree and variations of various land use change indices demonstrated that the land use in the study area was in a declining period. |