River bank slope is the main source of soil and water loss in plain area. Land use is an important external factor affecting soil and water loss of slope. The study on land use of river bank slope can provide basic data for soil and water loss control in the region. Based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aerial images and field survey data, this study counted the areas under four land use types of rivers bank slope in Jiangsu Province, and analyzed the slope use characteristics of sandy soil area, non-sandy soil area and different soil and water conservation regionalizations. The results showed as follows:(1) The land uses of river slope in the study area mainly include grassland, woodland, cultivated land, bare land, slope protection land and others, and the corresponding proportions of each type were 38.15%, 34.45%, 19.66%, 6.10%, 0.93% and 0.70%, respectively. Farmland and bare land accounted for 25.76% of the total. It indicated that the river bank slope was strongly interfered by human beings, and there was a serious risk of soil erosion. (2) The proportions of woodland, farmland and bare land in sandy soil area were 11.77%, 5.62% and 4.43% higher than those in non-sandy soil area, respectively. The proportions of grassland and slope protection land were 21.00% and 0.63% lower than those in non-sandy soil area, respectively, indicating that the potential risk of soil and water loss in sandy soil area was greater. (3) In the same river length range, the area of river slope in the northern rocky mountain area was larger than that in the southern red soil area. The proportions of grassland and bare land in the rocky mountain area were 16.64% and 8.00% larger than those of the red soil area. The proportions of woodland, farmland and slope protection land in the rocky mountain area were 15.17% and 10.08% lower than those of the red soil area. The appropriate measures should be adopted for soil erosion control according to the environmental characteristics of each region. This research can provide a theoretical basis for the design of regional river slope treatment.