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Ecological fragmentation and environmental degradation are the main problems faced by urban fringe areas (UFA). The urban sprawl of UFA is the most complex, varied, and sensitive area for urbanization. However, the research on spatial governance in the UFA of megacities is still in the early. Therefore, this paper takes Xi'an as an example, using nighttime light (NTL) data as the basic data. ArcGIS software is used to generate contour lines and filter the boundary of UFA. We explored the characteristics and fragmentation of uneven expansion of the UFA and carried out spatial governance of the landscape fragmentation problem. Results show that: The UFA has been experiencing dynamic changes for a long time and the area reached 720.57 km2 in 2020. The landscape of the UFA is significantly fragmented. The dominant landscape changed from a single land use to a more mixed. Factors such as traffic networks and heritage sites are the main influencing factors for the fragmentation of UFA. To improve the landscape fragmentation of UFA, focusing on bottom-line control, ecological restoration and other aspects of governance may be effective ways. In addition, connecting urban areas with rural hinterlands, and carrying out targeted planning play an important part in the sustainable development of regional landscapes. • Identify and extract the extent of Xi'an urban fringe areas (UFA), which have been in dynamic changes for a long time. • Explore the irregular expansion and landscape fragmentation characteristics of the urban fringe areas of Xi'an. • Analyze the impact of Xi'an's urban layout on the fragmented spatial governance of the urban fringe areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]