[Objective]Land use/cover change (LUCC) caused by human activities is a critical part of global environmental change. LUCC in arid regions has a particularly significant impact on regional hydrology and ecology. Therefore, exploring LUCC and its response to human activities is of great significance to the sustainable development of ecology, resources and environment in the arid inland of Northwest China. [Methods] Based on the Landsat images during 1980-2-18, this paper analyzes the characteristics of land use change in nine divisions of water resources of Tarim River Basin, by the combination of land use dynamic degree, land use transfer matrix and human activity intensity degree. [Results] In the past 40 years, farmland, construction land and woodland increased by 1.58×104 km2、1.2×103 km2 and 347 km2, respectively. By comparison, grassland, unused land and water body decreased by 1.33×104 km2、0.32×104 km2 and 815 km2, respectively. The main stream of Tarim River Basin has experienced the most significant change in land use types among nine divisions of water resources, followed by Weigan, Aksu and Kashgar river basin. Since 2000, the equivalent area of construction land and human activity intensity in Tarim River Basin has increased relatively fast, especially from 2000 to 2010. [Conclusions] Human activity intensity has showed significant spatial difference among division of water resources. Socio-economic development and policy guidance are major factors leading to land use change and human activity intensity difference.