Orange (colour)

The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 620–585 nanometres. It is the same colour as the fruit for which it was named. Before the orange fruit was introduced to the English-speaking world, the colour was referred to (in Old English) as geoluhread, which transliterates into Modern English variously as yellow-red, yellowred, or yellored (all pronounced the same).

With natural colouring materials such as paints or crayons, orange, or "yellowred", is a secondary colour that can be derived from primary colours by mixing red (or more accurately, magenta) and yellow.

This is the only named colour defined in CSS that is not also defined in HTML 4.01.

Usage, symbolism, colloquial expressions

• In English heraldry, orange denotes strength, honor, and generosity. Its use as a heraldic tincture is relatively rare.

• Orange is the national colour of The Netherlands, due to its royal family originating from the principality of Orange-Nassau. It is the primary colour of many of the national sports teams and their supporters. The nickname of the Dutch national soccer (football) team is Oranje, the Dutch word for orange. In the modern flag of the Netherlands, red substitutes the original orange, but on royal birthdays the flag has an additional orange banner.

• Orange signifies Protestantism in Northern Ireland (see Orange Order) and Hinduism in India, and is used as a rallying colour by Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip.

• Orange has become the color of opposition around the world.

• Orange was the rallying colour of the 2004-2005 Orange Revolution in Ukraine.

• Orange is the party colour of
  • Fidesz-MPSZ in Hungary
  • CD&V, Flanders, Belgium
  • People First Party, Republic of China (Taiwan)
  • New Democratic Party, Canada
  • June List, Sweden
  • Bharatiya Janata Party, India
  • Pora or "High Time", Ukraine—see Orange Revolution
  • Liberal Party, United Kingdom
  • Social Democratic Party, Portugal
  • People's Party (Spain) since 2005
  • Free Patriotic Movement, Lebanon

• Orange is the corporate colour of:
  • Orange SA (France)
  • easyJet (UK)
  • Euskaltel (Spain) (including its cycling team Euskaltel Euskadi).

• In sports,
  • Orange is the official colour of Syracuse University (USA), and the name of its several sports teams.
  • Orange is the colour of the second equipation of Valencia CF (Spain). The Valencia Region has oranges as a traditional produce.

• Orange also may be symbolic of the political concept of Democratic Socialism.

• Orange is the contrasting color of blue and is highly visable against a clear sky. Therefore, orange is offten used in safety. See: Safety orange.

Variations of the colour orange

The colour orange is often used for visibility enhancement.

Orange pigments are largely in the ochre or cadmium families.

Brown is actually on the orange part of the colour spectrum.

Burnt orange

Burnt orange is one variation that is used as a school colour of the University of Texas at Austin (USA). Here is a sample of burnt orange: [1]. Burnt orange can also be created using #CC5500.

See also

• Blaze orange
• Tangerine
• Amber
• List of colours