Abstract: The period of Song and Yuan Dynasties was important for the development of human settlement in JianghanDongting Plain. The number of settlement increased, with its scale extended, and its space distribution expanded fast. A lot of environmental factors influenced the change in human settlements. This paper analyzes the geography, hydrology and the nature resource factors. The basin geography contributed greatly to the bigger settlements located on the fringes of the area. On the other hand, the settlements located in the center of the basin were usually fewer, smaller, and moved faster. Meanwhile, the well-developed river system attracted the majority of settlements distributed along the banks of rivers, where settlements usually occurred along the water transportation lines. In addition, the abundant aquatic resources and mineral resources supported some fishing or mining settlements. The change of settlements reflected the basic harmonious characteristics in the relationship between human and nature of Jianghan-Dongting Plain in SongYuan period. At the same time, the problem also appeared as human activities damaged the environment.

Key words: settlements, environment, JianghanDongting Plain, SongYuan Dynasties