Abstract: In the process of rapid urbanization, the construction land in China has expanded rapidly. It is essential to analyze the characteristics and causes of the changes in construction land in time and space, which would promote the sustainable use of land resources in China. Based on the MODIS Land Cover Type product (MCD12Q1) in the years 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2017, the characteristics of temporal and spatial changes in construction land in different economic regions and geomorphological areas were analyzed with the help of economic and geomorphological data. It was found that: (1) The expansion intensity of construction land (EI) gradually weakened in China in the three periods from 2001 to 2006, 2006 to 2011, and 2011 to 2017, and the expansion speed (ES) gradually slowed down. (2) The expansion of construction land in 2001~2017 mainly occurred in the eastern region, which had the strongest EI and the fastest ES. In the three periods, the EI in the eastern region gradually weakened, and the ES gradually slowed down; the EI in the central region gradually became stronger, and the ES gradually became faster; the EI in the western region became weaker first and then stabilized, and the ES gradually slowed down; the EI in the northeast region weakened first and then stabilized, and the ES became faster first and then slowed down. (3) The expansion of construction land in 2001~2017 mainly occurred on the plains, with the strongest expansion intensity while the fastest expansion speed in the hilly areas; the EI on the plains gradually weakened during the three periods, and the ES gradually slowed down; the EI in the hilly areas became weaker first and then became stronger, and the ES slowed down first and then became faster; the EI on the mountainous areas gradually became stronger, and the ES became faster first and then became slower; the EI on the plateaus gradually became stronger, and the ES gradually became faster. It can be seen from the results that the intensity and speed of construction land expansion in different economic zones were different, which was mainly affected by the corresponding regional policies of the nation in different periods; different geomorphological types also affected the spatial and temporal characteristics of construction land expansion.