Lombard is spoken mainly in the north of Italy in all of Lombardy, except in the province of Pavia. It is also spoken in the Swiss canton of Ticino and three valleys of Graubünden/Grigioni. Western Lombard varieties are spoken in Sicily (Piazza Armerina, Nicosia) and Lombard is also spoken in USA. There are a number of dialects of Lombard with only limited mutual intelligibility between them.
Lombard has never been an official language but in the last ten years it has been recognized as a separate language by some linguists. Though it is not currently taught in schools, some people are trying to have it introduced into primary schools. Lombard is spoken mainly by older people and is not popular with the young, particularly in the cities and towns. As a result, it is in danger of becoming extinct within a couple of generations. Lombard is the symbol of regional pride particularly among supporters of regional autonomy / independence.