The objective of this paper was to describe and assess land cover changes in the semi-arid
areas of North Kordofan State, as they are related to the prevailing climatic conditions and
socio-economic activities. After clarifying the main concepts, a package of descriptive
statistics and remote sensing techniques were applied for describing, monitoring and
mapping land cover changes in one of the most vulnerable areas to desertification and land
degradation in the state. This allowed a synoptic view of land use patterns through using
historical records of landscape conditions over a time frame of 40 years. The obtained
results showed that the ecosystem in the study area is commonly viewed as significantly
susceptible to degradation. The descriptive statistical measures together with the spectral
mixture analysis assisted in monitoring land cover changes that have occurred rapidly and
occupied large areas, especially in the northern part of the state. The cases covered by the
paper gave strong evidence on the processes and drivers of climatic and socioeconomic
factors in relation to land cover changes in the area. Understanding the dynamic causes and
nature of these changes is necessary to establish an efficient land use management strategy
at the state level.