The research object of this paper is urban area in Nanjing city,China.Using TM and MSS the author reconstructed the information of land use/cover change(LUCC) in 1979,1986,1988,1996,1998,2001 and 2004,based on RS and GIS.Results showed that urban area increased yearly in different degrees from 1979 to 2004.From 2001 to 2004,land use dynamic degree was the biggest.From 1996 to1998,it was the smallest.From 1979 to 2004,the increase of urban area was mainly from cultivated land.From 2001 to 2004,the occupying speed is the quickest.The increase of urban area was secondly from rural residential land and other buildings land.From 2001 to 2004,the occupying speed is the quickest.From 1979 to 2004,Urban barycenter expanded along the axes of northeast and southwest in the district of northern the Changjiang River.Urban barycenter expanded to southeast in the district of southern the Changjiang River.From 1979 to 2004,fractal dimension index increased generally in the district of northern the Changjiang River and increased undulatingly in the district of southern the Changjiang River.Population increase and economic development were the major driving forces for urban expansion in Nanjing city.