São João is located north of Brasília on state highway G0-118, which begins near Planaltina and connects with Alto Paraíso de Goiás.

Neighboring municipalities are: The economy is based on agriculture (corn, soybeans, and manioc), cattle raising (64,800 head in 2006), services, public administration, and small transformation industries.

Tourism has become important in recent years with the proximity of the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park.

In 1910, it was Arraial Capetinga, consisting of same grass huts, two houses covered with tiles, and a chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.

With the construction of Brasília and a relative proximity to that important city, farmers from the south began to arrive and buy inexpensive land to plant soybeans.