Abstract: With the use of integration of Remote Sensing and GIS and the Landsat image acquired in 1989~1990 and 1999~2000 respectively, we analyzed the area differentiation characteristics of land use change pattern in Hubei Province. The result shows that physical geography is control factor of the land use change; the Urbanizatiion and industrialization, the development of society economy and the policies of land use change are the modulate factors of it. The south, the northeast and the southeast mountainous area is the farmland, woodland and grassland region, in which they changed with each other; the suburb of Wuhan, Ezhou, Huangshi, and the area from Yichang to Shashi along the Changjiang River is the outstretched town region; Jingzhou, the lower reaches of Hanjiang River and the north hillock area is the water shrank region; Jianghan Plain is the outstretched water region. In addition, the adjustment of economy structure and the policy about land are the primary driving factors for the conversion among farmland, woodland and grassland; the advantage of economy around central cities and the traffic along river are the leading driving factors for towns outstretching; pursuing economy profit is the significant driving factor for water outstretching; the land policy is the main driving factor for water shrank.

Key words: land use change, area differentiation, Hubei Province, remote sensing