It is of great significance to clarify the spatiotemporal pattern of population distribution and its influential mechanism.This can improve the understanding of the humanearth relationship.Moreover, the sustainable development of population, resources and environment can be realized.QinlingBashan Mountain areas, one of the concentrated contiguous destitute areas announced by the state, was taken as an example.On the basic unit of county, the degree of influence of transport elements on the spatial distribution of population was quantitatively revealed by virtue of spatial analysis technology and spatial panel Durbin model. The results show that the population of QinlingBashan Mountain areas has obvious characteristics of spatial differentiation, showing an overall pattern of “large outside and small inside, more in the south and less in the north”. In addition, the number of permanent residents in QinlingBashan Mountain areas from 2000 to 2015 shows an overall decrease tread, especially in peripheral areas. The spatiotemporal pattern of population distribution in QinlingBashan Mountain areas is jointly affected by temperature, terrain fluctuation, distance to the provincial capital and other mega cities, county financial expenditure, county fixed assets investment, GDP and other factors. Both highway accessibility and railway accessibility have obvious positive direct effects on population distribution. For every 1% increase in road accessibility and railway accessibility in the study area, the population will increase by 1.96% and 1.91%, respectively.Highway accessibility also has an indirect spatial spillover effect on population distribution. Every 1% increase in highway accessibility in neighboring counties will increase the local population by 1.58%.

accessibility; population distribution; QinlingBashan Mountain areas; spatial panel Durbin model