Answer:
What can stand in place of a country but still fold away in a drawer?
My first is a body of water. My second is me. My third came before. My fourth before all three. My fifth sounds like my first. My sixth is in a lake. Put all six together to make an animal that will keep you awake.
Sleeping during the day, I hide away. Watchful through the night, I open at dawn's light. But only for the briefest time, do I shine. And then I hide away. And sleep through the day.
Reaching stiffly for the sky, I bare my fingers when its cold. In warmth I wear an emerald glove and in between I dress in gold.
I do not breathe, but I run and jump. I do not eat, but I swim and stretch. I do not drink, but I sleep and stand. I do not think, but I grow and play. I do not see, but you see me everyday.
Often cooked as fillet, this meat comes from an animal that swims underwater.