Abstract: According to the countylevel distribution of the rural settlements the distribution mode, the landscape characteristics and the traffic conditions of the settlements were examined using the Tongshan district of Xuzhou city in Jiangsu province as our study case in this work. Based on the spatial analyses of GIS, the Voronoi analysis of the computational geometry coupled with the indices of landscape ecology, the distribution characteristics of the rural settlements over Tongshan district were assessed. Results showed that a clustering distribution was observed in the rural settlements, and there was a distinct difference in the settlements size. Smallscale settlements dominated in this county, accompanying some sparsely distributed settlements, and traffic condition of most settlements was convenient. The living habits of the rural dwellers should be carefully taken into consideration when planning and regulating the layout of the rural settlements.