Planaltina is the gateway to an enormous area of ecological preservation, in which can be found the important Chapada dos Veadeiros national park.
Nearby is Lagoa Formosa, which, with its 17 square kilometers of surface area, is the largest natural lake in the state of Goiás.
Most of the inhabitants work in Plano Piloto (Central Zone of Brasília) and spend hours on buses due to the intense traffic of urban public transport and cars of the thousands of workers from the suburbs who move towards the Plano Piloto (Central Zone of Brasilia).
The economy is based on agriculture (soybeans (9,000 hectares in 2006), corn, manioc and citrus fruits), cattle raising (62,000 head in 2006), services, public administration (1,328 workers in 2003), and small transformation industries.
Planaltina gave up most of its territory including its municipal seat to form the new Federal District, but never received any indemnification for this loss.