Abstract: 64 Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in the surface sediments of Yangtze Estuary sampled in November 2005 were determined with GC-FID, and the main factors affecting the distribution of these pollutants discussed. The resultsindicated that 35 kinds of SVOCs were detected, including 11 kinds of PAHs, 5 kinds of phenols, 3 kinds of esters, 7 kinds of substituted benzenes, 2 kinds of ethers and 7 other kinds. Among these pollutants, there are 7 kinds of priority-controlled substances of China and 22 kinds of USEPA. The distribution of SVOCs in the sediments changed dramatically with the position of sampling sites. Theirdistribution did not show any obvious regularities and was mainly affected by the factors such as the distance from the wastewater discharge sites, the hydrodynamic conditions, the sediment grain sizes, the organic compound contents and the characteristics of the sediments. The farther the distance from the discharge sites, the weaker the hydrodynamic conditions and the higher of the TOC in the sediments, the higher the kinds and contents of the SVOCs.