Abstract: Terrain factors not only control the distribution patterns of land use but also have important impact on regional ecological construction and sustainable land use.Taking Yongtai County of Fujian Province as an example, three terrain factors (elevation, slope, and terrain relief) were selected to explore the account for the driving factors of terrain factors on land use pattern in the hilly area of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.Results show that:(1) the residence area, industrial, mining and traffic areas, cultivated land, garden plot and water area are preferentially distributed in the areas with elevations less than 500 m and slopes less than 25°.In these areas, the above mentioned five types of lands should be rationally arranged due to fierce competitions among the land types.Forestry areas and grassland are mainly distributed in ecologically fragile areas with elevations greater than 750 m and slopes greater than 35°.Ecological conservation should be considered for these two types of lands.(2) There are complex patchs and high heterogeneity in hills and valley plains, which have been affected by human activities.In the hilly mountain and marginal mountainous areas, the patches are regular shape with strong connectivity due to the dominant position of the natural ecosystem.Pearson correlation analysis show a significant correlation between terrain factors and landscape pattern metrics.(3) For developing and utilizing land resources in mountainous and hilly areas, there are important spatial restrictions.To achieve sustainable land use in these areas, it is necessary to arrange reasonably and harmonically in accordance with the distribution rules of different types of land and terrain conditions.