Based on the Landsat TM data(1985and2000)and other correlative statistical data,the paper focuses on the research of the tendency of evolved structure of land use in the lower Yangtze River during the past15years.The research reveals the tendency of evolved structure of land use in the lower Yangtze River basin,the evolved types of land use structure and the relation between land use pattern and main socio-economic factors. The research results show that the general changing tendency of land use is the decrease in the amount of arable land area and the increase in the amount of construction land area including land for urban,mining and communication.In the amounts of the decrease of arable land,the construction land area from occupied arable land is the largest.Applying GIS technology and based on the quantity change model,degree change model and sample cell of77counties(cities),5types of the space-time evolved structure of land use in the lower Yangtze River basin have been divided.Using the method of Canonical Correlation Analysis(CCA),three canonical variables for the relationship between the change of land use in the lower Yangtze River and the socio-economic factors are identified.The first canonical variable differentiates arable land from other land use types and its canonical loading is0.875.The corresponding explanatory variable is gross domestic product per capita and density of population and their canonical loadings are respectively-0.801and-0.73.The second canonical variable differentiates land for urban,rural and communication use from other land use types and their canonical loadings are respectively0.992and0.591.The corresponding explanatory variable is gross population and secondary industry and their canonical loadings are0.734and0.642.The third canonical variable differentiates forestland and grassland from other land use types and their canonical loadings of forest and land are respectively-0.877and-0.748.The corresponding explanatory variable is gross agriculture value and primary industrial value and their canonical loadings are respectively0.706and0.639.