%0 Journal Article %A LIAO Zhi jie %A LIU Yue %T Comprehensive Indexes and Spatial Distribution Characteristics of the Regional Sustainable Development of China %D 2000 %R 10.11821/xb200002002 %J Acta Geographica Sinica %P 139-150 %V 55 %N 2 %X The sustainable development pattern of China, calculated by province from the databases of the Population, Environment and Sustainable Development Atlas of China (PESDAC), are expressed by six indexes and their maps visually. The spatial distribution characteristics are described according to the indexes and the maps. The paper is organized as follows. Firstly, the research situaction on Chinese Sustainable Development by home and abroad is introduced. Then, the dessipative structure theory is applied to the research on evolution of regional Population, Resource, Environment and Development (PRED) system. A comprehensive index named SDI is put forward with its non-linear model. Thirdly, based on the databases of the PESDAC, the indexes of population, resource, environment, development of economy and society by province are derived quantitatively. Fourthly, they are visualized into six maps. Next, a spatial analysis of the pattern of China’s sustainable development is made. Finally, the causes are analyzed and some answers to the question are given. The conclusions are drawn as follows on the overall spatial characteristics of the sustainable development of China. The social and economic development pattern is divided into three zones from east to west obviously. The ecology and environment situation is related to regional economy closely. There is a difference between North China and South China because of their natural condition; The natural resource lies mainly in the west of China. It is short relatively in the middle of China. But the resource per capita is least in the east of China;The distribution of SDI has the same pattern as the attraction to population, its shape is like two circles with the same center in Hubei province. But there is a slight difference between SDI and the attraction to population, it reflects a value deflection by which people decide to migrate nowadays. Poverty scatters mainly in the middle of China, but there is one third of poverty population not living in the counties assigned by government. %U https://www.geog.com.cn/EN/10.11821/xb200002002