Abstract: In order to understand the characteristics of land use structure change in arid inland areas of northwest China, taking the Tarim River Basin as an example, the dynamic change of land use, land use degree changes,spatial and temporal variation of land use structure was analyzed using the land use data from 2009 to 2015. The results showed that the area of construction land, cultivated land and other agricultural land in the Tarim River Basin increased from 2009 to 2015, and the area of garden land, woodland, grassland, water area and unused land continually decreased. The comprehensive land use index showed a growing trend, and the intensification degree of land use was gradually increased, but the overall level was low. The land use structure had an orderly and structurally steady growth, in which the land use structure of the Aksu area, the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture and the Kashgar region was lower orderly and structurally, while the land use intensity in the Hetian area and the Bayingoyu Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture was low, and was higher orderly.

Key words: land use structure, spatial and temporal variation, Tarim River Basin