Abstract: Desert is a geographical landscape with sparse vegetation that formed in arid climate. The Qira River Basin is characterized by less precipitation，high evaporation，sparse vegetation and various desert types and it is a typical representative of arid regions in China and even all over the world. Therefore，the classification of desert types in the Qira River Basin is important for its desertification prevention and control. Based on the TM remote sensing data of Landsat5 and the dada of digital elevation model（DEM），this study used GIS technology，field investigation and lab analysis including the analysis of soil organic matter，soil particle size and soil salt to classify desert types of the Qira River Basin and draw the desert classification map. Based on landform types，vegetation coverage，material composition and altitude，the desert in the river basin was divided into 2 categories，7 subcategories and 14 three-stage categories and the desert types system of the Qira River Basin was established.In the river basin，loess is formed in arid climate condition and have low vegetation coverage so it can be classified as a desert type. From the downstream to upstream in the Qira River Basin，the spatial distribution of the desert is sand desert followed by gravel desert，rocky desert，loess and cold desert. The desert types distribution map shows that the total area of desert is 2 416.77 km² accounting for 70.45% of the total basin area. Gravel desert is the desert type with the largest area of 1 100.11 km² and accounts for 45.52% of the total desert area. Sand desert has the second largest area of 628.50 km² and accounts for 26.00% of the total desert area. The areas of rocky desert，loess and cold desert are 295.72 km²，221.20 km² and 163.38 km² respectively. They occupy 12.24%，9.15% and 6.76% of the total desert area respectively. Salt desert and argillaceous desert have the minimum proportions in all desert types. In the background of zonal distribution，different desert types are formed because of the differentiation of geology，landform， hydrology，vegetation and surface material. The desert distribution in the Qira River Basin is determined by the landform units from the upstreams to the downstreams. The differences of material composition and vegetation coverage result in the differentiations of desert types. Accordingly，the above elements decide the distribution and characteristics of desert types in the Qira River Basin. This study provides the application guidances for the desert researches in the southern Tarim Basin and similar arid regions. Additionally，it also has references values for the expansions of geomorphology researches.

Key words: desert type, classification system, characteristic, remote sensing data, the Qira River Basin