Natural disaster is a dynamic phenomenon varying from region to region and changing over time.The impacts of disasters to a region is usually described by the extent of disaster affecting the region in general,and also by the grading of disaster for particular purposes.This paper deals with the regional characters of natural disaster of China by using information from l989 to 1993.It aims at analyzing interactions between disaster and regional development,identifying indicators used as tools for decision making in disaster reduction,and discussing regional differences of disaster impacts in China.The paper fiistly reviews information available to describe disasters,and then dibcusses the importance of differefit items of information in relation to various types of disasters.Based on the sigfiificance and the implication,an indicator system of disaster impacts is established.This system covers 8 basiic indicators as:disaster losses in absolute sense; disaster losses in relativp sense;fluctuation in absolute sense;fluctuation in relative sense;disaster losses per capita;disaster losses per unit area;affected population per unit area;and affected land per unit area.In addition,the grading systems for each indicator are also developed.Adopting the indicator systein of ditqaster impacts,the paper concluded that the easternpart of China is the seriously affected area by natural disasters, which is the well developed area in terms of economy,and the niost populated area of China.Within the easterii part of China,some regions:uch as the lower reach of the Yellow River,the Haihe River Basin,and the lower reach of the Yangzi River siiffer tremcndously from natural disasters in the last few years.With,regards to the sustaining capacity to Withstand disasters,the paper emphasized that aregion could not be self-reliant when disaster impact indictor above 4.0 in terms of absolute disaste losses,or up to 30% in terins of relative disaster losses.