Based on the analysis of 210 surface soil samples (0-20 cm) according to field investigation in 2011, soil organic carbon (SOC) content and its distribution under four different land-use types in the middle reaches of Lancang River were studied. Combining with the correlation analysis, relationships among SOC content, land-use type, topographical factors and NDVI were revealed. Furthermore, multiple linear regression and Kriging method were used to predict the SOC contents distribution in the mountainous areas in the middle reaches of Lancang River. The results exhibited that the rank order of SOC content under the four land-use types was forestland > scrubland > grassland > farmland. The important factors influencing the SOC content were land-use type, aspect, slope and curvature. Comparing the accuracy of these two models, we found that the multiple regression model performed better than geo-statistics in prediction of the SOC content in the mountainous region.